First, Baleno became Glanza (Starlet for South Africa). Then Vitara Brezza became Urban Cruiser. And what you see here is the third such trickery – Ertiga becoming Rumion. It’s part of a deal Toyota and Suzuki inked a couple of years ago. Within the agreement, Toyota could produce almost identical Suzuki cars and sell them. And not just in India, but in emerging overseas markets as well.

So, the Toyota Rumion. It has gone on sale in South Africa already and, in all probability, will join Toyota India’s portfolio soon. There’s no mistaking it – the Fortuner-maker has pulled off the same trick as it did with the Glanza and the Urban Cruiser. It is a pretty straightforward mantra – take a car, replace all Suzuki badges with Toyota logos, tweak the grille design, and that’s about it.

And yes, the similarities between Ertiga and Rumion go much further than just skin deep. For example, they have an identical interior layout. And, under the bonnet is the same 1.5-litre, 4-pot petrol engine that does duty in a range of Maruti Suzukis – Ciaz, XL6, Ertiga and Vitara Brezza. At 103bhp/138Nm, the powerplant puts out the same oomph as well. As standard, it comes coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission. Alternatively, you could have a 4-speed automatic in the mix.

No points for guessing; the Rumion borrows the list of features as well. It includes a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic climate control, a 6-speaker sound system, alloy wheels and projector headlamps. For safety, you get dual airbags, ABS with EBD, a rear-view camera, rear parking sensors, and fog lamps, among other features.

So, there you have it. A Toyota that isn’t a Toyota. But will that be a deal-breaker for buyers? Unlikely. Why? Well, there’s a simple fact in the auto industry – anything with a Toyota badge will probably outlive its owner. In other words, they are incredibly reliable. And if Toyota feels a Suzuki is worthy enough, the customers won’t question it. Will you?