Maruti Baleno-based Toyota Glanza Introduced In South Africa As Toyota Starlet

While it will have the same body and feature set, the Starlet will get a different Suzuki engine in South Africa than us

• Toyota and Suzuki have an alliance for sharing certain models across markets.

• First shared product in India was the Baleno-based Glanza hatchback with the only difference being the badges.

• Now, Toyota will launch Glanza in South Africa under the name of Starlet.

• The Starlet will be powered by an alternative Suzuki powertrain: the 1.4-litre petrol engine that is not offered in India in any model anymore.

The Maruti Suzuki Baleno hatchback is one of the early models to be shared with Toyota as part of the partnership between the two Japanese carmakers. It is a straightforward case of cross-badging with no differences other than the Suzuki badge being replaced with Toyota branding. In India, it was launched as the Glanza in the first half of 2019 and it will now be offered in South Africa as the Toyota Starlet.

The Starlet looks exactly like the Glanza, i.e., the same as the Baleno. It has the same interior as well with the feature set to match. Toyota has equipped it with a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, TFT screen multi-information display in the instrument cluster, auto AC and cruise control. The Starlet moniker isn’t new to Toyota’s lineup either; it has simply not been in use for many years until now.

For South Africa, this hatchback gets the Suzuki Baleno’s 1.4-litre petrol engine which is not offered in India. This powertrain makes 92PS and 130Nm and will likely get the same 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic transmission options. We get the Baleno and Glanza with a 1.2-litre petrol engine and a version with mild-hybrid tech too. This unit produces 83PS as standard and 90PS with the mild-hybrid tech, while torque remains the same at 113Nm. It is mated to a 5-speed manual too but the automatic option is a CVT.

Like the Glanza, the Starlet will also be manufactured by Maruti Suzuki themselves, which should boost the Indian carmaker’s production numbers. The next shared product in India from this alliance is the Urban Cruiser sub-4m SUV which is based on the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. Unlike the Glanza-Baleno badge-swap, the Urban Cruiser does get a different grille and front bumper to differentiate it from the donor model.

Source

Read More on : Toyota Glanza on road price