Spied: India's Toyota Belta is a rebadged Ciaz, to replace Vios

In a lot of market segments, Toyota is the undisputed sales champion. There are, however, exceptions to this rule as Toyota India found out with the Toyota Yaris (Vios to you and me).

Sales of the Toyota Yaris in India has been lacklustre since the model was launched there in 2018, with rival models like the Honda City, Hyundai Verna, and Suzuki Ciaz often outselling the Yaris.

Also Read: 2021 Honda City reclaims top spot as India's best-selling sedan as Vios exits market

Replacing the Toyota Yaris for India is the Toyota Belta – itself a rebadged Suzuki Ciaz. Earlier this year, we reported that Toyota registered the Belta name in India, hinting that the company will be offering a new sedan there.

Also Read: Suzuki Ciaz could be rebadged into a Toyota, but won’t be called Vios

As seen in these spyshots, the difference between the donor Suzuki Ciaz and Toyota Belta is minimal – limited to the Toyota and Belta emblems. The rest of the car is identical, down to the headlights, grille, and bumper design.

The units seen in these spyshots are left-hand drive models, indicating that the Toyota Belta won't be limited to India, and will be exported to selected markets. 

Indian sources have mentioned that the Toyota Belta will get a naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine that does 105 PS and 138 Nm, hooked up to a mild-hybrid (MHEV) system. In Suzuki's case, the MHEV system is called Smart Hybrid and it features an Integrated Starter Generator (ISG) and Idle Stop Start. 

The Toyota Belta joins an ever-growing list of Toyota- and Suzuki-rebadged models such as the Suzuki Baleno (Toyota Glanza), Toyota RAV4 (Suzuki Across), Toyota Corolla Wagon (Suzuki Swace), and Suzuki Vitara Brezza (Toyota Urban Cruiser).

Also Read: After Proton's half-hearted attempt, Toyota could rebadge Suzuki Ertiga next