Toyota eBella Urban Cruiser Electric SUV Launched At 23.6 Lakh, Ex-Showroom
Soon after shooting down the rumours that the Urban Cruiser Ebella electric SUV had been cancelled, Toyota Kirloskar Motor has now officially launched it in India. Toyota has officially announced the pricing of the top-of-the-line E3 variant of the Urban Cruiser Ebella, and it has been priced at Rs 23.60 lakh (ex-showroom). At the moment, Toyota has only revealed the price of the fully-loaded E3 variant, and the prices of the lower E1 and E2 trims are expected to be announced very soon.
It has taken Toyota around 4+ months after the official unveiling of the Urban Cruiser Ebella to launch it in India. The company’s first electric SUV, the Ebella, has been launched at a price tag of Rs 23.60 lakh (ex-showroom) for the top-spec E3 variant. In total, the Ebella will be offered in three variants, namely E1, E2, and E3. The entry-level E1 variant will be offered only with the smaller 49 kWh battery pack. Meanwhile, the E2 and E3 variants will come equipped with the larger 61 kWh battery pack option.
As we all are aware, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella is based on the Maruti Suzuki e Vitara and shares the same dedicated EV platform, battery packs, motor options, and most of the interior layout. However, Toyota has given the SUV its own unique styling and a more premium positioning.
Toyota has launched the Ebella with its “Urban Tech” design philosophy, which combines futuristic styling with a muscular SUV stance. At the front, this SUV boasts Toyota’s signature hammerhead-inspired front fascia. Its notable highlights include sleek LED headlamps, pixel-style LED DRLs, gloss black grille treatment, faux skid plates, and a chunky bumper design.
Moving to the side profile, the Ebella comes offered with 18-inch alloy wheels, thick body cladding, gloss black ORVMs, a shark fin antenna, and a large glass area, which makes the cabin feel airy. As for the rear, the SUV features connected LED taillamps, a coupe-like roofline, an integrated spoiler, and a heavily sculpted bumper, which gives it a modern road presence.
After stepping inside the cabin, the Urban Cruiser Ebella greets the occupants with a premium black-and-tan dual-tone interior theme. There are also gloss black inserts and soft-touch materials, which add to the premium appeal. The dashboard is dominated by a dual-screen layout, which includes a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Apart from these, the SUV also comes offered with a twin-spoke steering wheel with Toyota branding and a rotary gear selector, which helps in reducing clutter inside the cabin. Toyota has loaded the Ebella with a long list of premium features. These include ventilated front seats, a 10-way electrically adjustable driver seat, a JBL premium sound system, a panoramic glass roof, and ambient lighting with 12 colour options.
Other notable highlights include a PM2.5 cabin air filter, sliding and reclining rear seats, wireless phone connectivity, and multiple drive modes. Additionally, the rear seat experience is also expected to be one of the highlights of the Ebella because of the large windows, flat floor, and reclining rear seats.
In terms of safety features, Toyota has equipped the Urban Cruiser Ebella with a strong list of safety features. The SUV comes with 7 airbags, a Level-2 ADAS suite, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking, and rear cross-traffic alert.
Other safety features include a 360-degree camera, an electronic parking brake with auto hold, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, a tyre pressure monitoring system, and a high-tensile body structure. Now, as we all are aware, the Maruti e Vitara scored a 5-star Bharat NCAP safety rating. Most likely, the Ebella is also expected to offer an almost identical crash safety performance.
Toyota is offering the Urban Cruiser Ebella with two battery pack options in India. The smaller 49 kWh battery pack comes with an electric motor which produces 144 PS. Meanwhile, the larger 61 kWh battery pack option variants will make 174 PS. Both versions will produce 189 Nm of torque.
Toyota claims that the larger battery pack can offer a driving range of up to 543 km on a single charge. The SUV supports both AC and DC fast charging, and using a DC fast charger, the battery can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in around 45 minutes.
In addition to this, Toyota has also confirmed that the Urban Cruiser Ebella will get an 8-year battery warranty along with Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) options and assured buyback schemes for customers. This means that the entry-level variant price with BaaS will make it an affordable option for first-time EV buyers.
The Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella will compete with the likes of the Maruti Suzuki e Vitara, Hyundai Creta Electric, Tata Curvv.ev, Mahindra BE 6, MG Windsor EV, MG ZS EV, and the VinFast VF6 in India.
Just before the official launch, a number of reports online claimed that Toyota had cancelled the Urban Cruiser Ebella due to low expected demand and concerns regarding profitability. Rumours also claimed that dealerships were being asked to refund booking amounts to customers.
However, Toyota quickly denied all these reports and clarified that the launch plans were still active. The company has now officially launched the SUV and announced the pricing of the top-spec E3 variant, putting an end to all cancellation speculation.