BREAKING: Toyota Teases Hyundai Creta's Hybrid Rival Coming In June

It will mark the brand’s entry into India’s compact SUV segment

• Toyota has launched a new campaign about its self-charging hybrid powertrain.

• Its next new model for India will be a compact SUV which will offer the same hybrid tech.

• Toyota’s upcoming compact SUV will debut in June with the launch by August.

• It will also be offered as a shared model with Maruti Suzuki in India but Toyota will manufacture it for both brands.

• Toyota’s claims its SHEV can run on electric mode for up to 60 percent of the time.

• Creta-rivaling SUV could get a 1.5-litre hybrid powertrain from Toyota’s global lineup.

Toyota recently launched a new campaign for its self-charging hybrid powertrain technology. Among the campaign materials is a cryptic hint at its upcoming compact SUV model for India that is due to arrive soon.

Sources in the know have informed us that the upcoming Toyota SUV goes by the codename D22. They further shared that it will be revealed sometime in June with the launch by August. Since the hint of the Creta-rivaling SUV came as part of Toyota spreading awareness about its hybrid powertrain, the new model will offer that technology as well.

Toyota claims its SHEV can be driven in pure EV mode for up to 60 percent of the time and increase the engine’s fuel efficiency by 40 to 80 percent. The electric aspect of the powertrain also helps deliver instant torque for a sporty drive even though the overall performance figures would not be the highest. It switches between hybrid and EV only modes smoothly and automatically.

This tech is quite similar in its principle to the Honda i-MMD hybrid technology that will debut on the City sedan. You can read more about how that system works here.

The Japanese carmaker already offers two self-charging hybrid vehicles (SHEV) in India in the premium segments with the Camry and Vellfire. However, the upcoming Toyota compact SUV should borrow Toyota’s latest compact hybrid powertrain already offered with cars like Yaris Cross overseas. It uses a three-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor and a battery which has a combined output of 115PS. The Yaris Cross hybrid front-wheel drive variant has a claimed fuel economy of up to 26.32kmpl, which is a lot higher than any petrol-only powertrain in this segment. Furthermore, the Yaris Cross was recently spied testing in India, supporting the theory that it will share its powertrain with the new SUV.

The upcoming Toyota compact SUV would be the first in its segment to offer a self charging hybrid powertrain. It will be priced competitively against its premium rivals. Additionally, this SUV will be shared with Maruti Suzuki for the Indian market as part of the partnership between the two brands. Toyota’s hybrid SUV will be taking on the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun.

Also read: Upcoming Hyundai Creta Rival From Maruti-Toyota Spied Testing