Maruti Suzuki Celerio to be sold as Toyota Vitz in this country. Details here

Maruti Suzuki cars like Baleno and Brezza are being sold in India by Toyota in their rebadged avatars. Now, another Maruti Suzuki car is about to join the list. The Celerio small hatchback will be rebadged and sold as Toyota Vitz, but not in India. This entry-level hatchback will be sold as Toyota's most affordable car in South Africa, reports Cars.co.za. The report further claims that the Toyota Vitz will be launched in the country in the second quarter of this year.

The report claims that the rebadged version of the Celerio will be sourced from Maruti Suzuki instead of Suzuki. Also, this would be powered by the same 1.0-litre three-cylinder naturally aspirated K10C petrol engine that works under the hood of the India-spec model. This engine is good for churning out 65 hp of peak power and 89 Nm of peak torque through a five-speed manual gearbox, while there is an automated manual transmission on offer as well. However, the final specifications and pricing of the Toyota Vitz are yet to be disclosed.

The Toyota Vitz claims to replace the Toyota Agya in the company's South Africa product portfolio. Based on the Daihatsu Ayla, the Agya is currently the most affordable model from the brand in the country. It was introduced in 2020, replacing the Aygo.

Suzuki Motor Corporation signed a business alliance with Toyota Motor Corporation back in 2017. Under this partnership, the two auto giants have been sharing models and automotive technologies at the global level. In India, Maruti Suzuki and Toyota have been sharing their models. Toyota sells the rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Glanza, which claims to have helped it improve overall sales in the country. Also, the Urban Cruise Hyryder comes as a rebadged iteration of the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara.