Indian Car Blog - Carazoo.com

Ok, we all know that Toyota would be launching its Etios hatchback and sedan in India. So what is new? Toyota may launch the Etios in diesel variants too. Doesn’t that sound like a bit too good to be true!

Toyota Kirloskar Motors, the JV between Toyota and India’s Kirloskar Group, has announced that it may consider launching its upcoming new car, Etios, in diesel variants. All in an effort to gain a better share in the great Indian hatchback segment.

"During the Delhi Auto Expo and at other events, we have received lot of customer queries regarding a diesel engine for the car. Considering the response, we are also looking at bringing out a diesel version of the Etios, but nothing has been finalised so far," Toyota Kirsolkar Motor (TKM) Deputy Managing Director Sandeep Singh said.

He also said the company is looking at the Etios as its primary weapon to penetrate the Indian market. "The Indian small car market is a huge one where we had no presence so far. The launch of the Etios will mark our break into the strategic market," Singh said.

Commercial production of the Toyota Etios would start at TKM's second plant in Bangalore, from the beginning of December this year. The car is likely to be launched in the same month or, in worse case scenario, in during the first quarter of 2011.

Toyota will launch the Etios initially in petrol variants. While the hatchback Etios will feature a 1.2 litre engine, the sedan will have a .5 litre engine. The company is keeping mum on the pricing of the car. Sandeep Singh said: "The final price will be decided later. While the hatchback will compete with Maruti Suzuki's Swift, Hyundai's i20 petrol and Volkswagen's Polo, the sedan version will be positioned along Maruti's DZire and Tata's Manza."

The cars are priced between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 6.75 lakh. So Etios is likely to follow a similar line in its pricing policy. And a localisation rate of 70 per cent in the component parts is sure to bring down the cost.

The company’s second car plant in Bangalore, which swallowed an investment close to Rs 3000 crore, will be dedicated entirely for the production of Etios. . However, the engines will be imported from Japan

"The Bangalore facility will have an initial capacity of 70,000 units annually and we will roll-out the same number of Etios(es) during the first 12 months. While India will be the focus market, we will also look at exporting the car later," Singh said.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor already has a plant in Bangalore, which has an annual production capacity of 75,000 units.

The company is also expanding its dealership network to cater to the demands that the launch of the new cars would create. "By the end of 2011, we will have a total of 150 dealerships across the country, up from 98 currently. The focus of the outlets would be to capitalise on the expected demand for Etios," Singh said.

So much for beating the competitors in the Indian market. Do we see some of them having sleepless nights already!

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Toyota has taken a hint from its compatriot Nissan Motors and is now contemplating to ink an MoU, through its Indian subsidiary Toyota Kirloskar Motors, with Ennore Port Limited to export its ‘Etios’ to global markets through Ennore port in Tamil Nadu in the upcoming years.

Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) is a joint venture between Toyota of Japan, holding 89 per cent of the total equity, and India’s Kirloskar Group. TKM is planning to ship its cars from its upcoming small car manufacturing plant at Bidadi, near Bangalore in Karnataka, which is likely to start production by the end of this year. As per the company’s earlier announcement, the small car is meant primarily for the Indian market, but its planning to export it to the other parts of the world too. TKM is also looking at sharing the infrastructure with Japanese competitor Nissan.

TKM is quite reluctant to divulge the export plans, but it said that discussions are on with the Ennore Port on identifying land. You will find it quite interesting to know that Etios was developed jointly by Indian and Japanese engineers. Yoshinori Noritake is the chief engineer of the Toyota Etios project.

"With the concept of ‘World first–India first’, we will sell Etios first in India (in the first year) and then we look at for export markets. We hope to start exports of Etios from 2012 onwards to neighbouring countries, ASEAN and African regions. The new plant will have a production capacity of 70,000 vehicles in the first phase and this can be increased to 200,000 in the next phase," said Toyota Kirloskar Managing Director Hiroshi Nakagawa was quoted as saying to reporters recently. He added, “The production of Etios sedan and hatchback cars will start from this year-end mainly for the domestic market,” he said.

“Etios will be pitched against Swift and Swift Dzire. While the car's exact price will be made known only at the time of launch, we expect it to be in the range of Swift and Dzire cars. Despite lot of features and high quality, Etios will have a localisation level of around 75 per cent initially and then will be increased to 100 per cent in the near future. "The car features a new platform engine and is 10% more fuel efficient than its nearest competitor. Given the advantage, we will price the car at a most competitive price point,” he said.

The new plant will accommodate six vendors including component giants like Jai Bharat Maruti (JBM), Stanzen Toyotetsu India Pvt Ltd, Wheels India Ltd of TVS Group, Asahi Glass, Bundy India, Tata Johnson Controls Automotive Ltd and Supreme Greaves.

Toyota will invest about Rs. 3,200 crore in this project. Toyota is aiming to expand its sales and service network to about 150 dealers by 2010. Five more dealership would be added in Tamil Nadu alone.

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Toyota Kirloskar Motors, the subsidiary of Japan’s Toyota Motor Corporation unveiled the third generation Prius in India at the Auto Expo 2010 today.

Prius which means ‘to go before’ in Latin stands true to its name. Toyota Priusis the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle since 1997 and has received world-wide acclaim. Toyota Prius is also the most successful hybrid in the world with cumulative sales of nearly 1.5 million.

Mr. Sandeep Singh, the DMD of Marketing, Toyota Kirloskar Motor during the unveiling of Prius said through the launch of the Prius, Toyota is keen to demonstrate its commitment to offer the latest eco-friendly automotive technology to its customers in India. He also added that “Toyota will continue to popularize environmentally friendly vehicles in India to further our efforts to help save the environment.”

The Toyota Prius that belongs to the third generation features the latest of its pioneering technology, the Toyota Hybrid System II (also called Hybrid Synergy Drive) and has one of the best aerodynamic performances. Toyota Prius has proved its worth as a world-leading fuel efficient car. Prius is equipped with a 1.8L, 2ZR FXE engine that churns out 134 bhp and also features Electrically controlled CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission.

The other features present in the Prius are Push start system and smart entry, Audio and Bluetooth controls with touch sensor on steering wheel. Toyota Prius gets safety features like that of ABS, BA, EBD, VSC, Traction Control and 7 airbags.

The Third-generation Prius comes with three driving modes − Power Mode, Eco Mode and EV (Electric Vehicle) Mode, − as well as a host of dynamic features that combine to give improved driving pleasure with superior environmental performance.

The Prius will be available in limited numbers in two variants, priced at 26.55 lakh and 27.86 lakh, ex showroom, New Delhi, and bookings start from today.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor apart from the Prius also launched the Corolla Altis CNG while Innova CNG and Camry Hybrid were on display at the Auto Expo 2010 in New Delhi.

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Toyota Kirloskar Motors has finally done what it should have done a while back. It has launched the New Land Cruiser Prado in India today. We in Carazoo.com had blogged on this SUV a couple of months back anticipating Toyota to launch the Prado Diesel next year. But we are in for a pleasant shock that Toyota has kept the launch programme at the fag-end of 2009.

This new beast of an SUV certainly looks bold and stylish at the same time. Prado Diesel combines the rugged dominance of its Land Cruiser heritage with the revolutionary technology and sophistication for which Toyota is renowned in this SUV.

The New Toyota Land Cruiser Prado comes with a 3.0-litre D-4D turbo-charged common rail diesel engine coupled to a 5-speed automatic transmission which produces 171bhp at 3,400rpm and churns out a maximum torque of 410Nm between 1,600 and 2,800rpm.This SUV fitted with imposing 18” alloy wheels also has a full-time 4x4 drive to take on the extremes.

With a host of features like that of downhill assist control, hill-start assist control, Vehicle Stability Control and Adaptive Traction Control, the new Land Cruiser Prado is all set to be one of the most comfortable SUVs that has been around in India for quite some time now.

On the interiors’ front, the New Land Cruiser Prado is no let down. With three row seats that can comfortably seat eight adults without any hassles, this SUV can put any luxury sedans into shame. The highlights of the features present in this SUV are power adjust with memory function on the drivers’ side, 3-automatic climate control options and seven SRS airbags for that extra protection in the event of collision.

The second row seats provide ample luxury with center armrest and cup holders and can be folded to increase the cargo space just in case the cargo is more even after you have folded the third-row seats. The third row seat comes with 50:50 split and power-fold-down at the touch of a button.

The New Toyota Land Cruiser Prado comes in five exciting colours such as White Pearl Crystal Shine, Silver Metallic, Grey Metallic, Greyish Blue Metallic and Black. This beast of an SUV costs 62,50,000 in Delhi (Ex-Show room).

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Toyota has many plans for India. The Japanese car honcho is all set to launch the Prius in India early next year.

World’s numero uno car maker Toyota also plans to expand in the Indian car industry. It is planning to foray into the small car segment by 2011. Toyota has secured its ground in India with sedans and SUVs and its sales chart topper Innova MUV. And now, for the first time, the car giant is going to make inroads in the small car segment in India. For this, Toyota is bringing in its small car brand Daihatsu in India and India is going to be Toyota’s base for all of its future global small cars.

The upcoming Toyota small car will stand against the Maruti Suzuki Swift and the Hyundai i20. It will be positioned at the premium end of the small car market. The car will comply with needs and tastes of the Indian buyer.

It has been revealed that the Toyota small car will be within four metres in length and come with a 1.2-litre petrol engine. The company is planning to launch both the hatchback and sedan versions of the car. The sedan will come with a 1.5L engine and a 1.5-litre diesel engine may follow the petrol version. The base model of the car will also have options to select various high-end safety features like Anti Braking System (ABS).

Toyota is keen to give the proposed car a contemporary international look while keeping the price as low as possible without any compromise on quality. The company is looking at sharing components from other models with the proposed compact car to reduce the production cost.

The small car will also be at least 10 per cent more fuel-efficient than a similar-size competing car in the present Indian market. Moreover, Toyota will introduce the car with a four-cylinder engine that will be Bharat Stage IV emission norm compliant.

Toyota has a minimal market share of 3 per cent in India. It is evaluating to increase its market share by 2015. Toyota also expects that sales from India will contribute up to 4 per cent to its total global sales by 2015 on the back of its proposed small car launch.

With the launch of the Prius and the above mentioned upcoming small car, Toyota is looking to add another product to its portfolio. The company is looking to position this car between its proposed small car and the Innova. This car will be priced somewhere between Rs 6-8 Lakh.

This car model is likely to go on sale in the next two years. The all-new car will accommodate five-six persons comfortably and feature a sub 2.0-litre diesel engine. As Toyota Kirloskar Motors Limited wants to play safe with the new car and not affect Innova sales, the proposed new car is classified as “a ‘people mover’, not an SUV.”

The parent company has been evaluating certain models for India, including the Toyota Avensis Verso MPV and the Toyota Avanza for benchmarking purposes.

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Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) has secured its hold in the Indian car market. The Fortuner proved to be fortunate for the Japanese car maker. Now Toyota has more to offer to India. The world’s number one car maker will not stop with just offering petrol and diesel powered variants in the country.

Toyota is planning to bring in the fuel efficient Prius to India. This hybrid car is presently the most fuel economic car of the world.
As a result, Toyota is busy these days conducting feasibility studies for its hybrid car Prius in India.

In fact, the Toyota Prius was unveiled to the general public at the 18th International Engineering and Technology Fair (IETF) in Bangalore in year. The aim of this display was to assess the mass reaction.

Toyota Motors might decide to bring the Prius in Complete Built Unit (CBU) to India. But this could prove to be very costly. Moreover, the Indian government does not offer any duty slashes for imported hybrid vehicles.

Toyota must have noticed that the Honda Civic Hybridhad no customers when its price tag was around Rs. 20-25 Lakh. When the price was brought down by 8 lakh rupees, the consignment was sold in just a matter of days.

That leaves Toyota with just one feasible option – Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits.

The Prius has to be priced competitively to attract customers in India.

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Riding high on the runaway success of the Toyota Fortuner, Toyota Kirloskar Motors(TKM) wants to bask in the glory of its success by introducing the diesel variant of Prado by mid next year. This step of Toyota’s might be to keep the luxury SUV segment all for itself by strengthening its position in the category. Being greedy Eh?

The upgraded version of Prado diesel will be launched in Japan by this December and might make inroads to the Indian market six months later. TKM desperately wants this SUV to be marketed in India sensing a steady growth of popularity for SUVs in India and is on the verge of wooing the parent company to bring the vehicle here to India. Looks like India has truly arrived in the scene if being a SUV country.

And since Indians still have a soft corner towards diesel versions of any cars, Toyota surely will bank upon this sentiment and bring the diesel version of the Prado to India so that they can sell more units of the same, contrary to the petrol version which sells about 50-60 cars a year.

Prado diesel will certainly be dearer and will cost higher than the petrol variant which is available at Rs 45 lakh. But we assume that Toyota is sane enough to price the SUV right so that the sheen of the vehicle is not lost owing to the price tag that it would carry.

Toyota Fortuner, which in a month's span received 7,000 bookings, and sold over 1,000 cars in less than two months, has the ball rolling for TKM. Lets all hope the same happens with the launch of Toyota Prado diesel in India.

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World’s number one car manufacturer Toyota Motor Corporation is planning to expand in India. So, as a part of this expansion drive, it is contemplating to introduce its small car brand Daihatsu in India.

Toyota has been exporting Daihatsu models to the US since February 1992. Daihatsu is Japan’s largest mini car maker and sells cars in over 100 countries. Daihatsu is famous for its mini-cars and are doing very well in the markets of Indonesia and Malaysia. It has recently launched the 660cc Mira Cocoa, which is very suitable for woman drivers. Daihatsu’s passenger car range includes the Materia, the Copen, the Sirion and the Curore or the Charade with engine capacities of up to 1.5 litres.

Now India is going to welcome an all-new mini car by late 2010 from Daihatsu. India’s first Daihatsu car will come with a 600 cc engine.

India is a hub for small cars and Toyota has been eyeing the Indian small car market for some time. Daihatsu will complete against car makers like Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai in India amongst others players.

The Indian arm of Toyota is investing Rs 3200 Crore for a new plant in Karnataka, which will be meant only for its upcoming small car.

Toyota ventured into the Indian car market twelve years ago and has a minimal market share of 3 per cent. Toyota Kirloskar Motors is evaluating to increase its market share by 2015. Last year, Toyota Kirloskar Motors sold around 46,892 units in the domestic market and expects to sell 52,000 for the current year.

After the Land Cruiser and the Prado, Toyota launched its third Sports Utility vehicle (SUV) Fortuner in the Indian market on Monday.

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The company had just launched its new model, a face lifted Toyota 2010 Camry, in the Indian market on July 31st.

And in not even a month’s time, another model from Toyota Kirloskar will make its debut in the Indian car market, the wait is finally over and Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) will bring out Toyota Fortuner in India on August 24th, much earlier than its scheduled launch time, sometime in September of this year.

Toyota is aiming high with its new SUV, Fortuner; the company is aiming at accomplishing a market share of 50% in the SUV segment in the Indian market and to sell out almost 2,000 units by the end of the year.

The Toyota Fortuner has a fulltime four-wheeler drive which is powered by a 3-litre Advanced Common-Rail Diesel engine. Being a luxury vehicle, the SUV is also expected to charm many customers, mainly the urban customers and so it will be primarily targeted at this section.

This sports utility vehicle will be brought to India by TKM as a knocked down unit and will be then assembled at its plant in Bidadi. The car is expected to be available at a price of Rs 20 lakh. This new Toyota is expected to pose good competition for Ford Endeavour and Chevrolet Captiva in India.

After this launch, customers will have to wait for some time for another model from Toyota, as it will be then concentrating mainly on launching compact car and will not be thinking about another launch till it launches its compact car next year. But we still can expect limited editions and new variants of the already existing models.

Accepted worldwide, Fortuner is expecting to bring new fortunes for Toyota’s business in India.

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Toyota Kirloskar Motors will launch the face-lifted new 2010 Toyota Camry with an athletic new frame in New Delhi. The 2010 New Toyota Camry flaunts dynamism and intelligence with the combination of athletic styling and modern design.

The 2010 New Toyota Camry comes with a wide array of new features and design. The new sedan gets a major overhaul on the exterior with fascinating front grille, well-formed front bumper and an enlarged lower air intake for better air flow.

The new Camry will display dazzling headlamps and revamped tail lamps that command attention. The High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps ensure better and whiter light for front visibility while they appear to be blueish-white to oncoming cars. The car also equipped with sun-roof. The 2010 Camry will run on 16-inch 10-spoke steel wheels with full wheel covers.

The luxury sedan comes with a 2.4L in-line 4 cylinder DOHC engine that can deliver a power output of 165 bhp. The New 2010 Toyota Camry comes with two transmissions such as a quick shifting 6-speed manual transmission and a slick 6-speed automatic transmission. The car receives a well-tuned McPherson Struts suspension on the front wheels and Dual Link suspension on the rear wheels that provides a smooth and joyous ride.

This luxury sedan boasts a generous, comfortable and luxurious interior. The cabin sports stylish fabric seat covers and cool door trim with integrated armrests with dual front and rear map pockets.

Some of the exciting features included in the 2010 New Toyota Camry are an audio system equipped with a new USB port for auxiliary music sources, Bluetooth(R), integrated satellite radio, single-CD, and MP3 and Bluetooth(R) streaming music capability.

Moreover, Vehicle Stability Control with traction control and auto up/down power windows will come as a standard features for all the models of the new 2010 Camry.

The 2010 Toyota Camry will come in new two impressive shades, Beige Mica Metallic and Dark Green Metallic.

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