Current scenario
The sub-four SUV segment is the hottest in the market today comprising a majority of all SUV-styled vehicle sales. There are currently eight cars fighting for this space making it one of the most crowded segments in terms of competition. It’s precisely this crowded Mumbai local that Toyota wants to jump into and has landed itself the perfect body shape to slink right into the compartment. That car is the Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor, which if taken even one look at, you will know it’s a rebadged version of the Maruti Fronx and exists because of the successful product sharing deal between Suzuki and Toyota.
But this is not Toyota’s first attempt at the sub-four SUV segment, not even its second. Rather, it is their third attempt at making a name for themselves in this part of the market. Their journey up to this point is quite interesting.
First attempt
Toyota’s first attempt at the sub-four SUV segment, the Etios Cross, came at a time when the segment didn’t exist. It was nascent with only the Ford EcoSport having the market all to itself. The big sell at that time were the compact sedans such as the Dzire, Amaze, and the Xcent, all of which were riding a diesel wave.
On paper at least, the Etios Cross looked like a competent package. It took everything that the Etios range offered and wrapped it up into a neat (sub-four) package brimming with massive interior space and an efficient yet bland 1.4-litre diesel engine. But attempting to build on something practical yet lacks character is a tall task, especially in a market that had just started to demand more from its cars.
Oddly enough, it wasn’t too popular with the fleet market where the Etios and the Liva had found solid footing due to their massive interior room, big boot, and diesel power. When its production run ended in India just before the advent of BS6, Toyota had managed to sell a little over 50,000 units in five years.
Round two
By the time the second attempt came along, Toyota was well into its deal with Maruti Suzuki and picked up a product that was doing quite well for itself. It rebadged the Vitara Brezza as the Urban Cruiser and saw decent success in terms of numbers. It established the foothold that Toyota needed, and combined with the Glanza, did what it was supposed to do for the automaker in terms of sales numbers.But, the joy was short-lived as the first-generation Brezza was at the end of its life cycle by this point and this meant that even the Urban Cruiser would have a short life.
Third time’s the charm?
This time around Toyota seems to have got itself into a good spot. The Fronx is an extremely successful product with big demand, good engines, and a feature list, all bits needed for the Taisor to succeed. What’s more, Toyota has hinted that it expects big numbers from the sales of the 1.0-litre turbo-charged unit giving a second wind to that engine in the overall scheme of things.