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On Friday, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) unveiled the Urban Cruiser Hyryder, a mid-size sports utility vehicle (SUV) that will be competing with the likes of Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos in a highly competitive segment starting from the festival season.
This will be the first product of the Toyota-Suzuki joint venture that will be manufactured at TKM’s Bidadi (Bengaluru) factory. Before this, the premium hatchback Glanza and compact SUV Urban Cruiser were manufactured at Maruti Suzuki’s factories and sold to TKM with Toyota’s badging.
The company has commenced bookings of the vehicle from Friday across its dealerships at ₹25,000.
‘First in segment’ features
The Urban Cruiser Hyryder will be equipped with several ‘first in segment’ features, including a self-charging strong hybrid electric powertrain that delivers better mileage, a heads-up display (HUD), a 360-degree camera and connected car features (55+ with Toyota i-Connect).
“Over the last 25 years, Toyota in India has worked towards meeting the mobility needs of consumers. Today, with over two-million satisfied customers, our focus in India continues to be the introduction of advanced products that are safer and cleaner and a good match for the energy mix of the country,” Masakazu Yoshimura, Managing Director, TKM, said.
Acheiving carbon neutrality
He said achieving carbon neutrality has always been the biggest challenge, for which fighting against carbon will require multiple technology pathways, and the company’s latest offering is another step in that direction.
“The Urban Cruiser Hyryder offers a self-charging, hybrid electric powertrain which truly reflects Toyota’s advanced green technology...we strongly believe this vehicle will provide a world-class motoring experience to all our customers,” Yoshimura said.
However, when asked about the Indian government’s push for electric vehicles (EVs) with subsidies and tax rebates as compared to nil in hybrid vehicles, he said now that the company is launching a mass segment, things may change for the better.
“If India becomes a completely BEV-oriented country, we will introduce our BEVs.” In December, Toyota Motor Corporation announced plans to launch 30 new BEV (Battery Electric Vehicles)models globally by 2030.
TKM already has two hybrid models on sale in India — the Camry and Vellfire.
Vikram Kirloskar, Vice Chairman, TKM, said that it was the government who decides anything related to subsidies or tax rebates. “The government decides...it’s very hard to predict,” he said.
Maruti Suzuki is also expected to soon announce the same vehicle, to be launched with its smart hybrid system, with a different nomenclature.
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