Toyota Reveals The Belta Sedan In The Middle East
While Toyota Fans in India anxiously wait for the rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz in the country, Toyota has already revealed the sedan in the Middle Eastern market. The rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz has been renamed Toyota Belta for the Middle Eastern markets and we expect the sedan to be launched in India with the same name as the Japanese car manufacturer has already filed trademarks for the name earlier this year.
Coming to the name ‘Belta’, Toyota chose this name for the rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz as Toyota called the sedan version of Toyota Yaris as Toyota Belta in Japan from the year 2005 to 2012. According to sources, Toyota may launch the rebadged mid-size sedan by the end of this year. Moreover, numerous spy shots of the vehicle have been taken by automotive enthusiasts across the country.
The Toyota Belta will be an important model for Toyota in India, as the Japanese brand at present situation lacks a model in the popular mid-size sedan category. With the Toyota Belta, Toyota will be aiming to attract more Indian consumers to the showroom and increase their overall market share in the country. When launched, the Toyota Belta sedan will take the place of the recently discontinued Toyota Yaris sedan in India and will compete against other mid-size sedans such as the Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Hyundai Verna, Skoda Slavia, and Volkswagen Vento.
In India, the upcoming Toyota Belta sedan will follow the routes as the Toyota Glanza. This means, apart from the badges, all other parts will remain identical to the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. On the inside, the Toyota Belta will remain identical to the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, and it will even come with an identical-looking sterling wheel, infotainment system and seats.
However, there could be a minor chance that the Indian version of the Toyota Belta sedan could receive a minor update on the front-end like the Toyota Urban Cruiser. Like the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, the Toyota Belta will be powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated engine with 103 bhp and 138 Nm of torque. Gearbox options include a 5-speed manual transmission and a 4-speed torque converter automatic gearbox.
Like the Toyota Glaza, expect Toyota to offer a superior 3 year/1,00,000 kilometre warranty for unmatched peace of mind. It is nice to see that Toyota has revived the ‘Belta’ nameplate after a long time and the new mid-size sedan will give Toyota the much-required boost in overall sales figures in the Middle Eastern and the Indian market as well. However, Toyota could have made a few changes in the design to make the Belta look slightly different from the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. When launched, expect the starting price of the Toyota Belta to be slightly higher than the starting price of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz in India.