The two giants of the Japanese motor trade have confirmed a collaborative deal that will see Suzuki bring two new hybrids to the UK and European market while Toyota’s compact cars will take advantage of Suzuki’s small petrol engines.
Having established a collaborative relationship as early as February 2017, the two Japanese firms will “bring together Toyota’s strength in electrification technologies and Suzuki’s strength in technologies for compact vehicles” in an agreement that should boost production efficiency on a global scale.
Two New Hybrids for Suzuki
As a part of the growing collaborative relationship, the main benefit for Suzuki revolves around the development of two new hybrid models. They will be based on the RAV4 crossover and Corolla Wagon and will utilise the Toyota Hybrid System (Toyota THS) petrol-electric unit that’s used across the hybrid range including the Yaris, Prius, and C-HR.
Osamu Suzuki, chairman at Suzuki, stated: “it is my pleasure to be able to make this announcement today regarding the status of partnership on a global basis, including Europe and Africa. In addition, we appreciate the kind offer from Toyota to let us make use of their hybrid technology.”
Details regarding the two proposed vehicles are still a little sketchy, other than the fact there will be an estate car based on the Corolla and an SUV based on the RAV4. However, the introduction of the two vehicles is sure to bring Suzuki Europe to the forefront of the hybrid market during an incredibly important era for greener driving.
Further info on the two Suzuki hybrid vehicles, which will be manufactured at Toyota’s Derbyshire-based factory, should be available in the coming weeks and months, although they are unlikely to be released until at least late 2020.
Considering the success of the two-year partnership thus far, there is plenty of reason for Suzuki and Toyota to be excited, with both firms suggesting that further collaborations could be on the cards.
Toyota To Use Suzuki’s
Toyota will see major benefits from the collaborative deal too. Most notably it will use and adapt the small-car engines already used by Suzuki, with production taking place at Toyota’s Polish factories. They will additionally be supported by Denso.
Worldwide benefits gained from the deal the development and release of two Toyota compact cars (designed on the Suzuki Ciaz and Ertiga) in India as well as Indian-produced vehicles being promoted to the African market.
Toyota have shown similar levels of enthusiasm to Suzuki, with the impact of the collaboration likely to become even more apparent over the coming months.
Our Verdict
This is an incredibly important period for the world’s manufacturing giants as the transformations brought on by evolutions in cleaner, greener technologies continue to redefine the industry as we know it. The partnership between Suzuki and Toyota is only set to strengthen their positions during this time.
You can hear about the latest developments or book a test drive in any Suzuki model at Dicksons today. Our friendly advisors are always ready to help.
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