Toyota plans to have its first R&D center in India

Bangalore’s new R&D center will be Toyota’s third such unit in the Asia-Pacific region outside Japan, with similar setups since then in Thailand and China

Toyota Kirloskar Motors plans to establish a new R&D center to expand its association with Suzuki and product development. The company is scheduled for Bangalore, which will be the company’s first such unit in India and the third in the Asia-Pacific region. Toyota also has two units in Thailand and China.

Toyota’s first R&D (R&D) center is scheduled to be completed in 2027. It will be located near the company’s Bidadi factory. It will start providing jobs to 2,000 workers and expand operations with another 3,000 engineers over the next 2 years.

Toyota’s first R&D center in India

Toyota’s new center will initially meet the needs of the Indian market and it will then become a global hub. As part of its new centre program in Bangalore, Toyota will closely study similar R&D businesses set up by Suzuki in Rohtak. This is one of the largest automotive engineering centers in India with about 3,000 employees. Initially, the new Toyota Center will focus on the Indian market, but plans to make India a hub for operations in the Middle East, East Asia and Oceania.

Toyota shares multiple models with Suzuki. There is Urban Cruiser Hyryder, which shares platform and parts with Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara), Rumion (a re-Ertiga) and Glanza, a re-shaped Maruti Suzuki Baleno. The list also includes Toyota Taisor, a re-version of Maruti Fronx.

Toyota’s electric car contacted by Suzuki

Following Toyota and Suzuki as a alliance of heavy-duty products, the company also plans to establish a partnership to integrate R&D and product development in the electric vehicle market. The first in the region is the upcoming Urban Cruiser EV, which will be a re-version of the company’s first electric car, the Suzuki E-Vitara.

In most respects, the Urban Cruiser EV is almost the same as the E-Vitara, with its official debut late last year. It will be a global product that will be produced at Suzuki’s Indian Gujarat factory. It will also be exported to many global markets.