WATCH: Upsized Toyota Urban Cruiser breaks cover

South Africa’s favourite compact SUV, the Toyota Urban Cruiser, is making way for a new model this year.

Watch the reveal of the new Toyota Urban Cruiser

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) announced this week that the second generation of the Urban Cruiser will be rolled out locally in the second quarter of this year.

The first generation of this compact SUV has been a runaway success for Mzansi’s top-selling manufacturer. Having made its local debut in 2021 not long after the arrival of its production twin the Suzuki Vitara Brezza, it became Toyota’s top-selling passenger car in 2022.

The 16 992 units TSAM sold last year translates into 22% market share of the B-SUV segment. These numbers played a huge role in Toyota finishing 2022 as Mzansi’s top-selling passenger car manufacturer for the first time since 2008.

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Production twins

With the first-generation Toyota Urban Cruiser being built by Maruti Suzuki alongside the Vitara Brezza in India, the second generation sees a reversal of roles in the alliance between the two Japanese carmakers. The new Urban Cruiser will now be produced on the Toyota assembly line in India and share a platform with the new Suzuki Vitara.

This means that the new generation Urban Cruiser is going to be bigger than before. The development can also open the door for Toyota to bring in a more compact SUV or crossover below it.

“The Urban Cruiser is going to do really well. We believe it will take over from where the first generation left off,” says TSAM senior vice president of sales and marketing, Leon Theron.

“This car in built at the Toyota plant in India and will be on showroom floors in the second quarter of this year.

“Because the vehicle is bigger than the outgoing model, customers can expect a slight increase in price. But we have not announced the pricing just yet.”

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Hold on hybrids

Despite TSAM’s active drive to include hybrid drivetrains on many of its passenger cars of late, Theron ruled out new energy offerings on the new Urban Cruiser for the time being.

“There is an option for us to move into the new energy space. But it won’t happen in the first year to year and a half,” Theron added.

Pricing and specifications for the new Toyota Urban Cruiser is expected closer to its local launch.