ICB Exclusive: A render of the Toyota Etios Liva based compact SUV

Toyota’s Etios platform, a low cost car platform which is aimed at emerging markets like India and Brazil, has two car models currently, the Etios sedan and the Liva hatchback. In the coming years, no less than 8 models are expected to be underpinned by this platform, all aimed at the low cost space. One such model is the Liva hatchback based compact SUV that is expected to join the burgeoning number of small SUVs that will sell in markets globally. Our roving eye in the sky, EarthFusion, has come up with a speculative render on how the Etios Liva bsed compact SUV could look like.

A speculative render of the Toyota Etios Liva based Compact SUV Concept

The Liva based crossover could measure in at under 4 meters in length, to make best use of the duty concessions a car measuring under 4 meters in length gets in India. The Liva based compact SUV could borrow the engines from the current Etios line up, as both petrol and diesel engines are available. The compact SUV could debut in the next couple of years. Stylistically, the Liva based compact SUV is expected to be a big leap ahead from the bland looks of the Etios sedan and the Liva hatchback. Given that Toyota is known to value customer feedback highly, these are changes that could be effected on the compact SUV given the underwhelming response to the styling of the Etios and Liva.

A bold front end with plenty of curves is what we envision the Toyota compact SUV to feature. Taller wheels and muscular wheel arches are other styling cues that could make the compact SUV more appealing to buyers who, from being bereft of choices in the compact SUV segment, suddenly find themselves with a surfeit of SUVs to pick and choose from. Currently, the Indian car market plays host of three entry level SUVs in the form of the Premier Rio, the Renault Duster and the Mahindra Quanto, launched in that order.

Early 2013 will mark the arrival of the Ford EcoSport compact crossover while 2015 is the year when Honda joins the party with its own Jazz based compact SUV. India’s largest car maker,Maruti Suzuki, is also expected to join the fray shortly with the XA-Alpha while its parent company Suzuki is taking the S-Cross crossover concept to Paris. So, this is just a brief overview on how crowded the compact SUV segment is expected to become in the next couple of years. Toyota wouldn’t want to miss the bus and that, in a nutshell, explains the Liva based compact SUV.