Toyota to launch a compact electric car in India

Toyota’s top brass confirms plans to launch a compact BEV (battery electric vehicle) with Suzuki for the Indian market.
The EV will be shared by Toyota and Suzuki for India.
Expected to launch only after the WagonR-based EV, which could come in 2020.
Toyota’s EV likely to be based on the WagonR-based EV that Maruti is currently testing.
Toyota Motors and Maruti Suzuki are working on a compact battery electric vehicle (BEV), which they will launch in India soon. Not much is known about it as yet, but it could launch in India by 2021.
Shigeki Tareshi, Executive Vice President, Toyota Motor Corp said, “India is, of course, one of the countries we have in mind for the introduction. Toyota is large in Japan but has a limited presence in India. Maruti Suzuki is large in India… with Suzuki, we will explore the possibilities of BEVs (in India). We will start with a compact BEV at an early stage… since we are working (on it) with Suzuki, I cannot share the timeline.”
Toyota and Suzuki had signed an MoU in 2017 and announced a capital alliance a few months back. They had established that the two brands would be collaborating for the development of electric cars and autonomous driving technologies among several other projects.
So far, Maruti has been testing 50 units of JDM (Japanese domestic market) WagonR EVs in varied Indian conditions. The Maruti WagonR-based EV is expected to launch in 2020 with fast-charging capabilities as well. This WagonR’s Heartect platform will likely also underpin the upcoming Toyota BEV when it comes to India. It could also be a rebadged or a slightly different version of the Maruti EV.
The upcoming Toyota EV should deliver a claimed range of at least 200km for relevancy in the future. Tata Motors recently launched a high-range version of the Tigor EV, which claims a range of 213km per charge. Upcoming EVs such as the Mahindra XUV300 and Tata Nexon are also expected to deliver more than 200km of range per charge.
The first result of the Toyota-Suzuki partnership has been the Glanza hatchback, which was launched with a mild-hybrid engine. It’s powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine, which is paired with an integrated starter generator.
Spicy GALLERY
RELATED NEWS
Slight Hike In Taxes On Imported Cars
It is evident that many foreign country manufactured cars have craze among elite customers and thus the imports of luxury cars made in different foreign countries are making it to India in various forms like Knocked Down Units and Semi Built Units in a way to reduce tax on that of the fully manufact...
Hero MotoCorp Donates 60 First-Responder Mobile Am...
Hero MotoCorp, the world's largest two-wheeler manufacturer has announced a donation of 60 first-responder mobile ambulances across India. The mobile ambulances will be donated to various authorities across India and used in the fight against COVID-19. The mobile ambulances are essentially Hero Moto...
Kia Motors closed due to Corona effect!
Kia Motors India, the South Korean automobile giant, on Monday suspended its manufacturing operations at its Anantapur plant in the wake of Coronavirus threat in the state. A statement from Kia spokesman said: "In view of the unprecedented situation arising out of the spread of COVID-19 and keeping ...
2020 Hyundai Creta launched, starts at Rs 9.99 lak...
Hyundai Motors India on Monday launched the BS-VI complaint version of Creta in both diesel and petrol options, starting at an introductory price of Rs 9.99 lakh (ex-showroom).Hyundai is offering five powertrain options: 1.5 litre MPi Petrol (6MT/ IVT), 1.5 litre U2 CRDi (BS6) Diesel (6MT/ 6AT) and ...
Qatar Automobiles Company presents Mitsubishi Ecli...
Qatar Automobiles Company (QAC), the authorised distributor of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation in Qatar, unveiled Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross in its showroom on Salwa Road. The Eclipse Cross's beautiful, dynamic form creates the same sense of excitement and...
Jeep will be launching a 7-seater SUV rivalling th...
A couple of days back, we told you about Jeep's plans to introduceVenue and Fortuner rivalsfor India. According to a report, FCA is also contemplating electric vehicles (EVs). As per a senior Jeep official, the brand is looking at importing SUVs and introducing EVs in India for the distant future. I...
MG Hector Owners Alert! SUV Gets Its First Softwar...
MG infotainment system will begin rolling out its first over-the-air OS update Hector infotainment system uses an embedded eSIM for internet connectivity. Will receive its first-ever over-the-air update, carried out by MG in a phased manner. MG system updates will be akin to smartphone software upda...