TKM launched the Etios in December 2010 followed by the Etios Liva in June 2011, with its focus on the Indian markets. The sedan caught the attention of the audience with its catchy tagline “World First, India First, My First”. The company forayed into the export market, shipping the first consignment of Etios to South Africa in April 2012. TKM plans to ramp up the production of the Etios series by opening its second plant in Bidadi, prompted by the need to match up with the growing demand for the sedans. The company plans to scale up the production capacity from 1.2 to 2.1 lakh units by early 2013 and to export 20,000 units annually.
TKM will source the engine and transmission systems for the cars from Toyota Kirloskar Auto parts which will produce about 1,00,000 engines annually, starting from the third quarter of 2012. The production will take up the localization ratio for Etios from 70% to more than 90%. TKM has ramped up its dealer network from 97 during 2009 to 175 outlets currently in an effort to expand its reach to the target customers. The company plans to launch 25 new outlets in semi urban and rural regions by Dec 2012 and to take up the network to 220 dealerships by early 2013.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa, Managing Director, TKM commented “With the launch of Etios, TKM embarked on a very important and challenging journey and this is an important milestone. We thank the one lakh happy customers who have trusted the brand and also appreciated it. Despite unforeseen and unfortunate events like tsunami in Japan and the floods in Thailand, we have been able to achieve the One Lakh mark. We wish to give the common man an opportunity to drive a Toyota vehicle and we look forward to serving the Indian society by making more quality vehicles.”
Mr. Sandeep Singh, Deputy Managing Director, Marketing, TKM commented “We are delighted to touch the One Lakh mark. The number reflects how the Etios family has grown and how Etios and Etios Liva has become a household brand in India. Customers have owned and appreciated the vehicles and we are constantly incorporating their feedback to be able to serve them better. This is a small yet very important milestone in this large project that will place TKM on a higher pedestal in the global operations of Toyota.”
