Toyota and Suzuki have announced plans to start production of a new SUV model developed by Suzuki at Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (TKM) in India from August, 2022. Maruti Suzuki India Limited and TKM will market the new model in India as Suzuki and Toyota models, respectively.
Furthermore, the two companies are planning to export the new model to markets outside India including Africa.
The powertrains of the new model to be on sale in India, will be equipped with mild hybrid developed by Suzuki and strong hybrid developed by Toyota.
The two companies are aiming to to provide a wide variety of vehicle electrification technologies to customers and contribute to the acceleration of electrification and the realisation of a carbon-neutral society in India.
They signed a memorandum of understanding for a business alliance in 2017.
Since then, the two companies have been bringing together Toyota’s strength in electrification technologies and Suzuki’s strength in technologies for compact vehicles for joint collaboration in production and in the widespread popularisation of electrified vehicles.
Toyota President, Akio Toyoda, says: “We are pleased to announce the new SUV with Suzuki, a company that has a long history of local involvement in the Indian business. Today, the automotive industry is facing various challenges such as electrification and carbon neutrality. By leveraging the respective strengths of Toyota and Suzuki to provide Indian customers with a variety of options, we hope to contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions and realize a society where ‘no-one is left behind’ and ‘everyone can move freely.'”
Suzuki President, Toshihiro Suzuki, adds: “Production of the new SUV at TKM is a project that can contribute to the growth of India through providing eco-friendly mobility needed by customers. We recognize that it is a big milestone toward further deepening our collaboration in the future. We appreciate the support from Toyota, and at the same time, will explore new synergy and business opportunities through continuous collaboration.”
Toyota and Suzuki continue to fairly and freely compete against each other, both companies intend to consider further collaboration to realise a sustainable future mobility society while respecting all applicable laws.
