Toyota unveils Urban SUV Concept based on Maruti Suzuki eVX

After Maruti showcased the eVX concept, Toyota will launch what is essentially the same electric SUV but under its own banner – the Urban SUV Concept.

The Toyota-Maruti Suzuki partnership has already produced some rebadged cars – generally the same models of cars with different brands – and the next one is already in the pipeline. After Maruti showcased the eVX concept, Toyota will launch what is essentially the same electric SUV but under its own banner – the Urban SUV Concept.

The Japanese company released the first set of images of the EV and suffice it to say that there is more than just the platform that is identical. Most of the exterior body panels will be shared. However, there is a slightly different styling between the Urban SUV and the eVX to better distinguish the two.

After Maruti showcased the eVX concept, Toyota will launch what is essentially the same electric SUV but under its own banner – the Urban SUV Concept.

The front fascia is tweaked to reflect some of Toyota’s newer EVs such as the bZ4X concept. It gets a sleek grille, sharp C-shaped headlamps and a full-width lightbar that is mostly similar to the eVX. The bumper at the bottom is made up of a large airdam that is completely different from the eVX.

At the rear, the tail lamps get similar styling, but the lighting elements have been tweaked. As in the front, the rear bumper, too, has been altered to be exclusive to the Urban SUV.

In profile, nothing changes save for the alloys and the rear door handles that are now mounted on the C-pillar. The Urban SUV measures 4,300 mm, 1,820 mm and 1,620 mm in length, width and height, respectively, making it 20 mm taller and wider than the eVX.

On the inside, while Toyota hasn’t revealed anything, we can expect the Maruti Suzuki eVX’s setup to be mostly carried over. The interior will be spacious, thanks to the skateboard platform that EV-exclusive cars are based on, and like the eVX, will be fairly minimal with features such as a floating dual screen setup, vertical AC vents, rotary dial for drive modes, two-spoke steering wheel and more.

The Japanese company released the first set of images of the EV and suffice it to say that there is more than just the platform that is identical.

Not much is known about the powertrain. But like the eVX, the Urban SUV will sit on the same 27PL skateboard platform that is expected to be heavily localised and built at Maruti Suzuki’s Gujarat plant. From there, the eVX as well as the Urban SUV will be sold both domestically as well as exported.

As far as the powertrain is concerned, we expect two battery pack options as in the eVX, with the higher capacity battery offering over 400 km of range on a single charge. According to Toyota, the Urban SUV will be available in both single-motor front-wheel-drive (FWD) as well as dual-motor all-wheel-drive (AWD) options. Whether both drivetrain formats will be available in India, however, we will have to wait and see.

Both the eVX and the Urban SUV are expected to make their production form debuts globally next year. The eVX will be launched first in India, followed by the Urban SUV a few months later.

Both SUVs will go up against the already established EVs in this segment – the MG ZS EV, the BYD Atto 3 and the upcoming Tata Curvv EV. The Toyota Urban SUV is set to be an entry into Toyota’s EV-only lineup, something the company has said will be coming to our shores by 2026. As such, we should see a fairly decent price tag, somewhere in the range of the MG ZS’s Rs 22.88 lakh tag, if not lower.