The first badge-engineered product to come out of the Toyota-Suzuki agreement -- the Toyota-badged Baleno -- is set to be launched in India shortly and it will be known as the Glanza. The Glanza will compete against premium hatchbacks like the Maruti Baleno, Hyundai Elite i20, Honda Jazz and Volkswagen Polo.
While the Glanza will be based on the Baleno, it won’t inherit all its engine options. It will be available with the Baleno’s 1.2-litre petrol engine with the option of a manual transmission and a CVT. The Glanza will adhere to BS 6 standard from day one. In terms of appearance, while the Glanza’s profile will match that of the Baleno, some elements like the front grille will be designed differently.
As far as features are concerned, the Glanza will be as equipped as the Baleno. More importantly, both variants of the Glanza will be available with the option of both manual and CVT, like the Yaris.
The Glanza will be sold via Toyota dealerships and its after-sales service will be handled by Toyota only. While its launch is slated to happen soon, its bookings are yet to start. Toyota dealers in Delhi suggest that the Baleno-based hatchback will be on display at dealerships in May 2019. As far as its price is concerned, the Glanza will be priced above the Baleno, which starts from Rs 5.58 lakh and goes up to Rs 8.9 lakh for the top-spec petrol-CVT option.
Apart from the Glanza, the Toyota-Suzuki agreement will result in more rebadged cars. Toyota has already revealed that it will offer the Vitara Brezza from its dealerships and will even start manufacturing the Brezza from 2022. Suzuki and Toyota have also agreed to develop an MPV that will go up against the Mahindra Marazzo. Toyota also intends to export Suzuki cars to African nations from India.
Knowing that the Glanza is essentially the Baleno, would you spend more to buy it because it will be a Toyota?