It’s “hatchin’” indeed! Come June 6, 2019, Toyota Kirloskar Motor will launch the Glanza hatchback in India. As we’ve seen from teasers and spy shots before, it is essentially a near-exact copy of the bestselling premium hatchback in the country – the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. Glanza’s conception comes from the lengthy pages of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) which were signed between the two Japanese giants.

Aside from a few bits and piece inside and out, the Glanza will be easily mistaken for a Baleno on the move. The Glanza sports a different front grille and some Toyota badges. In the powertrain department, the Glanza is likely to start its innings with the BSVI-compliant 1.2-litre engine from the Baleno. No, not the DualJet (K12C) one with mild-hybrid tech. The K12B petrol engine, in the Baleno, is good for 83PS/113Nm. Both the 5-speed manual transmission and the CVT units are expected to make the cut in Glanza’s package. No diesel engines.

Just like the exteriors, the Toyota Glanza will carry the same look and feel of the Baleno inside the cabin as well. Even the list of features is expected to remain identical to that of the Baleno’s. Reports suggest that the Glanza will only be offered in trims which are comparable to the mid- or top-spec Baleno. That means its starting price will not be as low as that of the original product. The only add-on, over the Baleno, will be a better standard warranty package. Where the Maruti is covered for 2 years/40,000 km, the Glanza will come with a 3 years/1,00,000 km cover. That’s the standard warranty every other Toyota car comes with.

Once launched, the Toyota Glanza will not only try and eat into Baleno’s market share but also lock horns with the Honda Jazz, Hyundai Elite i20 and the Volkswagen Polo. Based on the agreements with Suzuki, Toyota will also introduce similarly tinkered versions of the Ciaz, Ertiga and the Vitara Brezza. Expect those to come once Maruti Suzuki is done upgrading them to BSVI standards.