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By Charl Bosch

Motoring Journalist


Newly named Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder teased ahead of 1 July reveal

Fifth model from the Toyota/Maruti Suzuki partnership will be manufactured by the former and later revised by the latter.


Toyota has teased it’s new C-segment SUV in India that will serve as the fifth model from its joint partnership with Maruti Suzuki.

Known until now by its internal codename, D22, the newcomer, as previously alleged, will be called Hyryder, preceded by Urban Cruiser in a nod to Toyota’s version of the Suzuki Vitara Brezza.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder teased
Rear facia has Urban Cruiser-style chrome logo bar, but expect the final design to be a lot different.

Debuting on 1 July, the Urban Cruiser Hyryder will spawn a Suzuki badged version this year, which reports from India have alleged could be called Vitara despite the moniker being in use for the totally unrelated model sold in Europe, Australia and South Africa since 2015.

As evident by the teaser videos released by Toyota India, the Hyryder sports the same nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system as the Glanza/Starlet and Baleno, LED headlights, a leather trimmed dashboard and a climate control panel seemingly also lifted from the mentioned hatchbacks.

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In a reversal from the partnership’s current arrangement, which sees the various models being built by Suzuki and rebadged as Toyotas, the Urban Cruiser Hyryder will be assembled by the latter at its Bidadi Plant in the state of Bengaluru, before being altered by Suzuki.

Similar to the Rumion/Ertiga and Belta/Ciaz though, the differences are anticipated to be subtle on the outside, though inside, specification is expected to match that of the Starlet and Baleno.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder teased
Interior features the nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system from the Starlet.

In the case of the Toyota, the much vaunted Heads-Up Display and 360-degree camera system is unlikely to be offered given their absence from the Starlet.

Despite the Hybrid badge, the Urban Cruiser Hyryder is expected to adopt a mild-hybrid powertrain instead of a traditional hybrid setup, and ride on Daihatsu’s DNGA platform that underpins the Rocky and Toyota Raize, as well as the Xenia and Toyota Avanza.

According to team-bhp.com, production will commence next month, with sales set to start in August, the same time Suzuki’s version, known internally as YFG, debuts.

In spite of the confirmed launch date, don’t be surprised if more details, officially or unofficially, emerge before this coming Friday.

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