With the current launch of the Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor in India, sources confirm that this made-in-India SUV will be rebranded and sold as the Toyota Starlet Cross in the international market. Initially, Taisor is rebadged Maruti Fronx with some brand-specific design tweaks.
As the report stated, the made-in-India Glanza is sold in South Africa under the name of Starlet, and hence Taiser will be named Starlet Cross. Toyota’s Starlet has been a popular brand in the Japanese market and can be a perfect name to enter the international market.
Among the many rebranded made-in-India products sold by Toyota in South Africa, Starlet Cross will be built in Maruti Suzuki’s Gujarat plant for domestic and international markets.
The major difference that one can notice apart from the name is the 1.5-litre petrol engine. It’s similar to the models that are sold in South Africa, such as Fronx, Baleno, and Glanza. Engine options like 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol and 1.0-litre turbo-petrol are not available in the export market.
South Africa’s export market models witness older versions like the K15B 1.5-liter engine and not the new K15C Dual Jet powerplants. In the current scenario, the K15B engine is only available on the Jimmy in India. It churns out 105 hp and 134 nm of torque, mated with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. When talking about the features, the equipment list is expected to look identical to the Indian version.
There is a long list of Toyota models sold in South Africa that are made in India, such as the Maruti Celerio, Baleno-based Glanza, Ertiga-based Rumion MPV, and Urban Cruiser Hyryder. Many of these are part of Toyota Suzuki’s global partnership.
For more car updates visit: www.fyndmycar.com
