Maruti Suzuki approves supply of Vitara Brezza to Toyota

NEW DELHI: Maruti Suzuki on Wednesday approved the supply of derivative model of Vitara Brezza vehicle to Toyota Kirloskar Motor.
Toyota and Suzuki had executed a memorandum of understanding on February 6, 2017 to begin concrete examination towards realisation of business partnership in areas including environmental technologies, safety technologies, information technologies, and mutual supply of products and components.
The joint venture between Maruti Suzuki and Toyota gave birth to Baleno-based Glanza. The official nod to Vitara Brezza means Toyota is all set to launch its first compact SUV, expected to be a rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki's popular SUV.
Touted to be Urban Cruiser, inspired for Toyota's iconic Land Cruiser, the compact SUV will take on the likes of Hyundai Venue, Mahindra XUV300 and Ford EcoSport. The SUV is expected to arrive in the second half of 2020.
News agency Reuters reported, "Maruti Suzuki approves supply of one of its products (derivative model of Vitara Brezza vehicle) to Toyota Kirloskar Motor. The supply will result in incremental sales for the company."
Baleno and Glanza shared the same engine, underpinnings and the body with very few cosmetic changes. Toyota retails around 2,000-4,000 units of Glanza every month.
Similarly, Toyota's compact SUV will get the 1.5-litre, K-series, BS6-ready, petrol engine with most characters identical to the 2020 Vitara Brezza. The 2020 edition of Brezza was showcased at the Auto Expo and was subsequently launched in February, starting at Rs 7.34 lakh (ex-showroom). The Brezza is currently available in petrol-only option.
Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) reported a 27.77 per cent decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,322.3 crore for the fourth quarter of 2019-20, on account of lower sales volume, higher promotion expenses and depreciation expenses.
(With inputs from Reuters news agency)