The Toyota Urban SUV will be built alongside the Maruti eVX.
04 Dec 2023 | 5440 Views | By Akbar Merchant, Autocar India
Toyota has released the first set of images and details of its future midsize electric SUV in concept form. Called the Toyota Urban SUV concept, this new SUV is a sister-model to the Maruti Suzuki eVX SUV. Both models are expected to see a global debut in production form ...
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Toyota has released the first set of images and details of its future midsize electric SUV in concept form. Called the Toyota Urban SUV concept, this new SUV is a sister-model to the Maruti Suzuki eVX SUV. Both models are expected to see a global debut in production form next year.
The Urban SUV concept will be built on a shared architecture with the Maruti eVX to facilitate greater economies of scale. This commonality will not be limited just to the platform or mechanicals, but will also include exterior body panels and interior trim, just as the existing shared models between both brands.
As far as styling is concerned, the concept looks quite similar to the newer crop of Toyota EVs such as bZ compact SUV concept that was showcased last year. It has edgy surfaces, wears C-shaped LED daytime running lamps up front and a minimalist-looking front bumper, has flared wheel arches and a typical upright SUV silhouette with a rugged appeal. The rear end is particularly very similar to the eVX. The doors and glass house also seem to be quite similar, although the rear door handles here are placed on the C-Pillar.
Just like the eVX, the Urban SUV from Toyota will sit on the 27PL skateboard platform that will be heavily localized and will be built in India at Suzuki’s Gujarat facility for both export and the domestic markets. This plant has a target to manufacture over 1.25 lakh vehicles annually, as we reported last year. There will be two battery pack options with the higher-spec variant offering 400km-plus range. Toyota says that the SUV will have both FWD and dual-motor AWD options for some markets.
This SUV in its production form will be Toyota’s entry-point in its electric SUV line-up in markets like Europe. Toyota has said it is readying three EV SUVs for Europe and the made-in-India Urban SUV will be one of them. Two more electric SUVs, the bZ Sport Crossover and the Compact SUV Crossover, are also being readied by the brand for the European market. Expect Toyota to introduce the Urban SUV in our market a few months after the production-spec Suzuki eVX hits the showrooms sometime in 2024.