Toyota Urban Cruiser axed in shock move

Interestingly, zero units were registered in India in October, with the vehicle also having been removed from Toyota India’s website. Now, Autocar India has received confirmation the Urban Cruiser is indeed a thing of the past. Perhaps more pertinent, though, is the claim a fresh version based on the new Vitara Brezza is not on the cards.

According to the report, the main reason Toyota has seemingly opted not to move the Urban Cruiser into a new generation involves the notion it would be priced too close to the larger Urban Cruiser Hyryder (apparently in part thanks to “royalties” that would have to be paid to alliance partner, Suzuki).

What does this mean for the Urban Cruiser in SA?

So, what are the ramifications for South Africa? Well, for now, the Urban Cruiser is still listed on Toyota SA Motors’ website. Launched locally as recently as March 2021, the model quickly became a firm favourite with South African buyers.

October 2022 was another strong sales month for the budget crossover, with 1,820 registrations placed third – behind only the Hilux and Corolla Cross – on the list of SA’s best-selling vehicles. Year to date, as many as 14,713 units have been sold in South Africa, making it one of Toyota’s top-performing models locally.

Though nothing is yet official, it seems likely any stock Toyota SA Motors has built up will start depleting soon (unless the factory in India continues producing for export markets for a little while longer). Once the Urban Cruiser officially exits the local line-up, it will leave a gaping hole.

What could replace the Urban Cruiser in SA?

So, what could step into the Urban Cruiser’s shoes? Well, a Toyota SA Motors official confirmed to Cars.co.za the local division does have “a replacement lined up, which carries a very similar name”. That would lead us to believe the aforementioned Urban Cruiser Hyryder could indeed be launched in South Africa.

However, considering the Hyryder – which shares much with the Suzuki Grand Vitara scheduled to arrive in South Africa in early 2023 – is larger and more premium than the Urban Cruiser, it would surely not be quite as affordable (for the record, the five-strong range is currently priced from R280,400 to R353,600). That means there would be a distinct risk of the Hyryder overlapping with the locally produced Corolla Cross.

Does Toyota SA Motors have any alternatives? Well, there is the Yaris Cross, though considering it would have to be imported from Japan or France, it too would surely be too pricey to plug the gap. There’s also the option of the Raize, which is built by Daihatsu in Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia. Finally, Toyota in India is said to be working on something called the Taisor, which will effectively be a coupé-style crossover based on Suzuki’s Baleno.

This article was originally published on Cars.co.za...