Toyota/Suzuki’s Creta rival set to debut on 1 July

The fifth model from the joint partnership between Toyota and Suzuki’s Maruti division in India will become an official reality on 1 July.

Already announced as a direct rival for the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos, the mid-sized SUV, known internally as the D22, will be assembled by Toyota at its Bidadi plant in the state of Bengaluru, before being revised as a Suzuki, whose internal moniker refers to the newcomer as YFG.

In confirming the supposed release date, Autocar India states that the Toyota version, which reports in India have alleged could be called HyRyder based on uncovered trademark submissions, will be shown on said date only, with the Suzuki example following soon after.

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The complete turnaround from the current status quo in which the Urban Cruiser, Starlet/Glanza, Rumion and Belta are rebadged and in some cases, subtly restyled versions of the Vitara Brezza, Baleno, Ertiga and Ciaz, the new SUV will have a Toyota drivetrain and ride on Daihatsu’s DNGA platform used by the Rocky and Toyota Raize, as well as the Xenia and Toyota Avanza.

In accordance with reports of the new model that emerged in January, and indeed the spelling of the HyRyder name, the D22/YFG will derive motivation from a hybrid powertrain, though lower-end models, and according to Autocar, could potentially utilise a mild-hybrid setup certain Suzuki models in India already feature as standard.

As with the current agreement, both models will be styled differently and have small tweaks inside with the most prominent being the switching-out of badges. Expect some specification differences as well depending on the trim level.

Currently undergoing final testing in India, expect more details, teaser images as well as production leaks to emerge leading up till the first of next month.