In a bid to expand its SUV lineup in India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Wednesday launched the Toyota Taisor at a starting price of Rs 7,73,500 for 1.2 litre petrol engine which goes up to Rs 9,52,500. 

Taisor, which is based on the recently unveiled Maruti Suzuki Fronx shares its engine options with the latter. Bookings begin from April 3 and vehicle deliveries will begin in May. 

"Our priorities are strongly aligned with the national goals. Sustainability is at the core of our business. We have been introducing advanced vehicle technologies that are both practical and green," Masakazu Yoshimura, Managing Director – Toyota Kirloskar Motor said.

He added that the company's emphasis remains on strengthening the local supply base. "India has always been very important in Toyota's global operations. This has been reinforced with India being at the centre of our vision," he adds. 

The car will be manufactured in Suzuki's Gujarat factory. "We've started the third shift which has added 345,000 units per year. That is likely to go up to 445,000 units a couple of months from now," Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Executive Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Governance, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said. 

He said that it's a multi-faceted collaboration with Suzuki going beyond cross-badging. "It involves learning from each other's strength," he adds. 

The company is already exporting its cars to the Middle East. "We're also exporting components including e drive which is a critical component of the electric powertrain. We'll look at exploring more export options," Gulati adds. 

With its sub-four-meter length, the Taisor will be Toyota's smallest SUV offering in India. This positions the Taisor directly against popular compact SUVs like the Maruti Suzuki Fronx, Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, Tata Nexon, Kia Sonet, and Hyundai Venue.

"Our core goal is towards sustainability. For us, technology is a means to go there. We'll explore all kinds of technologies to meet the societal requirements for the country,"  Yoshimura adds. 

This launch marks another milestone in the thriving partnership between Maruti Suzuki and Toyota. Previously, Toyota has successfully introduced rebadged versions of Maruti's popular models like the Baleno (Glanza), Brezza (Urban Cruiser), and Ertiga (Rumion). The company hopes that Taisor will continue the trend of offering reliable and feature-rich SUVs to the Indian market.