A fresh report out of India suggests Suzuki will start selling a sedan based on the outgoing Toyota Corolla in 2019.
According to GaadiWaadi, Maruti Suzuki (the Japanese brand’s highly successful Indian subsidiary) will launch the re-engineered sedan as its new flagship offering in that country, slotting it in above the Ciaz.
In May 2018, the pair of Japanese automakers announced plans to collaborate in the fields of technological development, market development and vehicle production. By August, reports had surfaced stating Toyota would offer a rebadged version of the Baleno hatchback in India.
And now it seems Toyota will in return supply some 10 000 units of its Corolla to Suzuki, with testing of the re-engineered prototype having apparently already commenced in the state of Haryana.
Interestingly, as Indian Autos Blog points out, the Corolla in question is the outgoing eleventh-generation model – which we’ve already reported will soldier on in South Africa as the latest, locally built Quest – rather than the new twelfth-generation saloon.
The report furthermore suggests Suzuki will ditch the 1,4-litre turbodiesel engine and 1,8-litre naturally aspirated petrol unit used by the Corolla in favour of its own 1,5-litre powerplants (in both flavours).
It’s not yet clear whether Maruti Suzuki’s Corolla-based sedan is set to be offered in markets outside of India.
