New Production Line At Toyota Plant To Manufacture Urban Cruiser Hyryder’s Hybrid Powertrain Components
The components produced on the new line will serve in both compact SUVs being jointly readied by Maruti and Toyota
Update (01/07/22): Toyota has unveiled its first compact SUV, the Urban Cruiser Hyryder, for India.
With the aim of localising components for hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs), Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts (TKAP) has introduced a new e-Drive component manufacturing line at its Bidadi plant in Karnataka. The line will be used for the production of components for hybrids and EVs, including the carmaker’s new compact SUV, the Urban Cruiser Hyryder.
This comes after the Toyota Group and the Government of Karnataka signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in May wherein the Japanese marque will invest Rs 4,100 crore.
Parts coming off of this line will cater to both domestic and international markets. Manufacturing EV parts locally on a global scale should bring down production costs, thus making hybrids and EVs accessible to more people. Toyota’s Bidadi plant currently has an annual production capacity of 1.35 lakh units.
Also Read: Here’s Your First Glimpse At The Interior Of Toyota Hyryder
The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder and its yet unnamed Maruti counterpart will be produced at the former’s Bidadi plant from August. Powertrain options for the India-spec SUVs have been detailed in our exclusive story.
They get a mild-hybrid powertrain developed by Maruti and Toyota’s strong-hybrid power unit. With the kind of investment Toyota has announced, we expect both compact SUVs to be priced aggressively, thanks to the higher amount of component localisation.
The Toyota SUV should be launched sometime around August or in early September. It could be priced from Rs 10.5 lakh (ex-showroom) onward, putting it in contention with the likes of the Volkswagen Taigun, Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, MG Astor, and Skoda Kushaq.