A gas-electric hybrid Innova may be in making

MANILA: It is rumoured that a gasoline-hybrid version of Innova MPV is in the plans of Toyota India. The prime reason behind this speculation is the requirement that the Indian division has to meet the average fuel consumption and stricter emission policies in the market. It means that the diesel version of the MPV is likely to be axed.

According to an unnamed source, “Diesel engine option for the next replacement of Innova seems off the cards right now. Toyota will develop the next generation of the Innova with the hybrid system and given the stricter emission and fuel efficiency norms, this strategy makes perfect sense."

As the oil-burner will be dropped from the Toyota India’s lineup, the hybrid’s future for the best-selling MPV will soar up. The gasoline-hybrid version will have some advantages too as the car will have fewer pollutants and may churn out more power too due to the electric assist.

The carmaker has not spoken anything about the speculated powertrain. However, it is safe to say that the current powertrain options in the Toyota's lineup will not be making their way under the hood of Innova Hybrid. Also, in the manufacturer’s portfolio, the majority of the hybrid cars feature front-wheel-drive applications, but Innova gets a rear-wheel-drive layout. The car is likely to get a hybrid platform similar to the Fortuner and the Hilux.

The current Innova available in the Philippines had been revealed three and a half years ago. The look is sleek on both inside and outside. The trademark rugged and robust capability has been kept along with maintaining comfortable ride quality. In its lineup, there are only the gasoline and turbodiesel variants.

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