South Africa will receive yet another new product from the Toyota-Suzuki joint venture. This time, the made-in-India Maruti Suzuki Celerio has been rebadged for Toyota. It will be sold as Toyota Vitz and will replace the Toyota Agya in the South African market.
For those who aren’t aware, the Vitz is the fifth Suzuki product that has been rebadged as a Toyota in South Africa. The other four models include Starlet (rebadged Baleno), Urban Cruiser (rebadged Vitara Brezza), Belta (rebadged Ciaz), and Rumion (rebadged Ertiga). All these models are manufactured in India and exported overseas.
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Except for the Toyota logo, the Vitz looks identical to the Maruti Suzuki Celerio. The colour options, however, could be different from its donor model. Features in the Toyota hatch are again identical to its Suzuki counterpart. It include a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, steering-mounted audio controls, day/night IRVM, powered side mirrors, alloy wheels, keyless entry, dual front airbags, and a rear parking sensor.
There are no changes on the mechanical front as well. The Toyota Vitz utilises the Celerio’s 66PS/89Nm 1-litre petrol engine, paired with either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed AMT unit.
Will Toyota Vitz be launched in India?
Well, there’s no official announcement regarding the same. We also don’t expect it to hit our shores anytime soon. However, the carmaker could launch the new MPV and a compact crossover for India. They are likely to be based on Maruti Ertiga and Fronx, respectively.
