Toyota Rush compact SUV coming to India?

Japanese automaker Toyota is reportedly planning to bring the Rush compact SUV to India as the company looks to expand its market in the country. A report of MotorOctane says that the Rush could make its India debut in 2018.

If this rings true, the Rush will compete against the likes of Hyundai Creta, Renault Duster and Ford EcoSport in India. However, Toyota has not revealed anything on the same yet. It may be recalled that the Rush was spotted testing on the Indian roads some time ago. It was believed that the model was brought to the country for benchmarking purpose by the rivals. According to the report, the Rush is likely to get a 1.5-litre petrol engine and 1.4-litre diesel engine in India. The transmission is taken care by 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic.

However, Toyota is unlikely to launch any models in India soon as the company expressed concerns over the diesel ban on vehicles with engines above 2,000cc. The Japanese car maker had said that the firm is re-looking at its Indian operations and said orders are being passed against principle of natural justice.

The company, which launched the Innova Crysta -- the new avatar of the much-acclaimed MPV the Innova -- is also said to be considering a petrol model of the MPV to beat the ban. Currently, the Innova Crysta is offered in a 2.4-litre and a 2.8-litre diesel engines under the hood. Toyota had said earlier that its MPV's sales have been affected by the ban on diesel cars with a displacement of 2000cc and above in the Delhi NCR region.