Toyota president Akio Toyoda says by leveraging the respective strengths of Toyota and Suzuki to provide Indian customers with a variety of options, the two companies hope to contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions. Suzuki president Toshihiro Suzuki says the production of the new SUV at Toyota Kirloskar Motor is a project that can contribute to the growth of India by providing eco-friendly mobility needed by customers.

He also hinted at further collaborations in the industry. "We appreciate the support from Toyota, and at the same time, will explore new synergy and business opportunities through continuous collaboration.”

The two companies have been bringing together Toyota’s strength in electrification technologies and Suzuki’s strength in technologies for compact vehicles for joint partnership in production and in the popularisation of electrified vehicles, it adds. Apart from India, the two companies are also planning to export the new model to Africa as well.

The company says the powertrains of the new model, to be on sale in India, will be equipped with a mild-hybrid developed by Suzuki and a strong hybrid developed by Toyota. "By bringing together strengths of both Toyota and Suzuki through the collaboration, the two companies will be able to provide a wide variety of vehicle electrification technologies to customers and contribute to the acceleration of electrification and the realisation of a carbon-neutral society in India," says the statement.

Maruti says by investing in the expansion of collaboration in India, Toyota and Suzuki are committed to achieving the “Make in India” initiative promoted by the government.

Notably, cross-badging is a practice in the auto industry where the same car is sold with some cosmetic changes under a different brand name. For instance, Nissan Micra and Renault Pulse are basically the same products. So are Volkswagen's Vento and Skoda Rapid. Automakers do this to boost sales or to expand into a different market segment.

India’s largest car maker

Toyota, Maruti Suzuki to start production of new SUV from Aug