- Maruti Suzuki Ciazlikely to be retailed as ToyotaBelta for global markets

- Expected to be launched in India soon

The outcome of the Toyota Motor Corporation and Suzuki Motor Corporation alliance has witnessed a new model labelled Toyota Rumion that has been launched in South Africa. Based on the India-spec Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, the Rumion is Toyota’s budget MPV and is also expected to be launched in India soon.

The Toyota Rumion looks identical to the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, albeit with the revised three-slat chrome front grille and new front and rear badges. The feature highlights of the Rumion include 15-inch alloy wheels, automatic climate control, cooled cup holders, a push start/stop button, a reverse parking camera, an infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, 60:40 split second-row seats, and dual front airbags.

The Rumion is powered by the same 1.5-litre petrol engine that generates 103bhp and 138Nm of torque. The available gearboxes are a five-speed manual and a four-speed automatic transmission.

Last week, the rebadged left-hand-drive version of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz with the tag Toyota Belta was spotted at the former’s production plant in India. It is to be noted that the rebadged version of both, the Ciaz and the Ertiga are yet to be launched in India. Presently, the collaboration retails the Toyota Urban Cruiser (rebadged Maruti Suzuki Brezza) and the Toyota Glanza (rebadged Maruti Suzuki Baleno) in the country. We expect the other two models to be introduced soon in India.