Toyota is preparing to reveal a new SUV that will slot in above the Urban Cruiser and reportedly adopt the Hyrydersuffix. Here’s your first official glimpse…

Yes, another product of the Toyota-Suzuki alliance is coming. Toyota has released a pair of teaser videos as well as an image giving us our first official look at a new SUV that is expected to be badged as the Urban Cruiser Hyryder.

Check out the official reveal of the Hyryder here

The first 15-second video published to Toyota India’s YouTube channel shows a number of external design details of the newcomer, though stops short of confirming its Hyryder nameplate (there is, however, a hybrid badge in the footage). The second clip, meanwhile, gives us a quick look inside the vehicle’s cabin, which features analogue air-conditioning controls, a dual-tone facia and a freestanding touchscreen system. You can watch both videos below.

The Indian arm of the Japanese company furthermore added a few teaser images to its social media pages, including the partial front-end shot (we’ve cropped it tightly in order to give you a closer look) pictured above.

The teasers come shortly after Toyota released a statement confirming it planned to “start production of a new SUV model developed by Suzuki” though built by Toyota from August 2022. The two automakers will market the newcomers in India but are also “planning to export the new model to markets outside India, including Africa”.

Interestingly, the statement added the powertrains “will be equipped with mild hybrid [technology] developed by Suzuki and strong hybrid [technology] developed by Toyota”. Reports suggest the combustion engine in line to gain these hybrid options is the latest evolution of Suzuki’s naturally aspirated 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol unit.

Of course, the alliance already sees Toyota market versions of Suzuki’s Baleno, Vitara Brezza and Ertiga as the Starlet, Urban Cruiser and Rumion, respectively.

According to Autocar India, the Urban Cruiser Hyryder will be fully unveiled in India on 1 July 2022, with the Suzuki version (which may well wear the Vitara badge as the European version’s lifecycle is nearing its end) following at some point thereafter.

The Hyryder (and its Suzuki cousin) will take on the likes of the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos, and be positioned above the Suzuki-built Urban Cruiser but below the locally produced Corolla Cross. It remains to be seen whether Toyota South Africa Motors believes there’s enough space between the two to warrant the local introduction of the Hyryder (or what its arrival would mean for the C-HR).