Toyota Motor Corp. and Suzuki Motor Corp. will jointly start production of a new sports utility vehicle in India as the two Japanese automakers deepen their business alliance.
The model will be developed by Suzuki at Toyota’s India unit, Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd., from August, according to a company statement. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. and Toyota Kirloskar Motor will market the new model in India as Suzuki and Toyota models, respectively.
The two companies are also planning to export the new model to markets outside India, including Africa.
Its powertrains will be equipped with mild hybrid developed by Suzuki and strong hybrid developed by Toyota. “The two companies will be able to provide a wide variety of vehicle electrification technologies to customers and contribute to the acceleration of electrification and the realisation of a carbon-neutral society in India,” the statement said.
The new SUV partnership builds on the existing pact signed by the two companies in 2017.
Toyota Motor acquired a 4.94% stake in Suzuki in 2019, while Suzuki took a 0.24% in the former as part of the deal. The two have a cross-badging pact in place, with Toyota taking up Suzuki’s designs under a different brand, as is seen in the Baleno-Glanza and Vitara Brezza-Urban Cruiser.
Also Read: Maruti Suzuki's One-Off SUV Success Is Hurting
Suzuki and Daihatsu Motor Co. have also invested in a Toyota Motor Corp. entity to bring electrification and autonomous driving to commercial vehicles, strengthening ties between the automakers.
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