The Urban Cruiser Hyryder is a direct rival to the Honda WR-V, Kia Seltos and Perodua Ativa Hybrid
So, this is another sports utility vehicle from Toyota which is designed for countries with high import duties, questionable tarmac quality and high number of low income earners.
This means, this is a Toyota that will not be sold in Japan or Europe. This is for India and its surrounding nations and of course ASEAN markets like Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Meet the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder. Interestingly, this Toyota Urban Cruiser and the Suzuki Grand Vitara are both built in Toyota’s factory in Karnataka, India and this Toyota utilizes a Suzuki platform and engines.
Now, a lot of effort had been put to differentiate the styling, although the basic shape and cabin architecture are shared with both vehicles.
Meanwhile, the Toyota-Suzuki (Maruti) partnership plays a vital role as the Urban Cruiser Hyryder will also be offered with Maruti Suzuki’s 1.5-litre K-Series mild-hybrid powertrain.
This engine produces 103bhp and 137Nm of torque and it is offered in India and the neighboring nations with either a five-speed manual or a six-speed automatic gearbox.
This Urban Cruiser is based on the larger Suzuki Grand Vitara which is a cost-saving partnership which is not new for both car manufacturers
Toyota Urban Cruiser has less standard features than the seemingly-equivalent Suzuki models.
Toyota will provide auto climate control with rear A/C ventilation, a multi-function steering wheel, Hill Assist Control, Vehicle Stability Control and a touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, as well as a reverse camera that is also linked to rear parking sensors which ASEAN buyers want.
So, with the recent launch of the Urban Cruiser Hyryder in South Africa, it seems that Toyota wants to take this Urban Cruiser Hyryder into more markets.
It could arrive in Malaysia, right after an Indonesian launch as Toyota has large factories in Indonesia producing simple vehicles for the lower middle class segment, which means it will be compete with Daihatsu, Honda and also Hyundai in Indonesia and also Malaysia.
With the larger and better equipped Corolla Cross selling very well in Malaysia, this will be positioned just below with a possible attractive selling price of just below RM98k
