A prototype of Toyota's compact SUV Rush has been spied undergoing testing in India, fuelling speculations about the launch of the model in the country.
Caught on camera near Kolhapur in Maharashtra by Indian Autos Blog reader, Pramod Mhaskar, the test mule of Rush was seen disguised by a significant amount of camouflage. For various reasons, Toyota Rush is considered unsuitable for Indian conditions.
Now, the question that begs answers is the timing of its testing in India, which points to two things. It seems immediately apparent that this is a test mule used by a rival company for the sole purpose of benchmarking or it could be a new Rush set for launch in the Indian market. From our observations, the test mule is used by Mahindra and Tata in the development of their new models.
We already know that the model Rush is on sales in Indonesia with 1.5-liter petrol engine, which can churn out a power of 107.5bhp and a peak torque of 141.2Nm. The transmission is taken care by 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic.
The launch of this model in India is certainly ruled out and the next one is a new generation Rush. If Toyota decides to bring a new Rush to the Indian market, the model will rival Ford EcoSport and upcoming Hyundai ix25.
In India, currently Toyota is also testing its next-generation Innova, which is expected to hit the roads by 2016. It is likely to get new looks with new front bumper and a bigger windshield.
Underneath the skin, the new Innova is expected to have the same engine as its existing version, may be with a minor tweak in the engine to give a better output.
