New Toyota Rush heads into South Africa, no plan yet for India

PT Toyota Astra Motor unveiled the second generation Rush in Indonesia in November last year. The 2018 Toyota Rush is headed to South Africa in the first week of July. An Instagram post by a Toyota dealer in the country has revealed the price as well.

According to the Instagram upload, the Toyota Rush will be offered in two variants - Rush High MT and Rush High AT - priced at ZAR 302,900 (INR 15,19,658.94) and ZAR 316,600 (INR 15,88,392.27) respectively. The 'High' grade is likely to bring with it features like automatic climate control, 7-inch touchscreen infotainment, LED headlamps and tail lamps, and 16-inch alloy wheels as standard. The poster suggests that only the TRD Sportivo version of the Rush will make it to South Africa.

A 1.5 L 2NR-VE in-line four-cylinder engine powers the Toyota Rush. It has a peak power and torque output of 104 PS at 6,000 rpm and 13.9 kgm at 4,200 rpm respectively. The automatic variant gets a 4-speed gearbox while the manual gets a 5-speed unit. Power is sent to the rear wheels. These specifications are for the  Indonesia-spec model. They are expected to remain unchanged for the South African Rush. The Toyota Rush is 4,435 mm long, 1,695 mm wide, and 1,705 mm tall and sits on a 2,685 mm wheelbase.

Also Read - Toyota Rush launched in the Phillippines

Toyota does have an idea to launch the Rush in India. Although several reports in the past eight years have indicated that the company has been mulling over the idea of a compact SUV/crossover for the Indian market, these studies have not concluded. Also, the company has inked a MoU with Suzuki in India, which details TKM's plans to source the Maruti Vitara Brezza, among other products, from MSIL for sale under the Toyota brand name. With a ready and proven compact SUV an agreement away, Toyota, an ultra-conservative player, will not risk its millions to bring down an alien SUV from its global carlines.

[source - Instagram]