Toyota bets on Etios to double sales in India

Toyoda apologises for global recall

The major driver for growth, Toyota hopes, will come from its just launched compact car Etios to be sold in two models — a sedan and hatchback.

TKM, on Wednesday, launched it new car Etios sedan marking the company’s entry into highly competitive B segment in India. It will launch the hatchback version with 1.2 litre petrol engine named Etios Liva, in April 2011.

Etios sedan will come with 1.5 litre petrol engine in four variants with price (ex-showroom New Delhi) ranging from Rs 4.96 lakh to Rs 6.86 lakh.

Toyota Motor Company President Akio Toyoda said India is a key market for our strategic growth plan and launch of Etios a milestone in this direction." Incidentally, this was a global launch of Etios as the car made for Indian customers is using new platform.

Following Toyota's 'Customer First' philosophy, the company did the test drive of Etios over 100,000 km across India in all types of road conditions mainly to make the car suitable for Indian roads. TKM Managing Director Hiroshi Nakagawa said the launch of Etios also signifies another landmark for the company in India as the car is rolling out of the new plant set up at a cost of Rs 3,200 crore in the existing campus at Bidadi, near Bangalore.

Asked why Toyota is facing so many ‘recall’ of cars worldwide in the last one year or so, Toyoda said “My sincere apologises to all Toyota customers worldwide with regard to recalls and quality issues detected in some of our cars. But I can assure you that at Toyota 'Best Quality' is the foundation for all our products. Everyone in Toyota in all our plants worldwide are trained not to make any compromise when it comes to quality and safety.” He assured Indian customers that Etios has undergone extensive and rigorous tests under all types of conditions and it can be used for many many years with sense of safety and comfort.

Etios’ 1.5 litre engine produces maximum power of 90 ps @ 5600 rpm and maximum torque of 132 Nm @ 3000 rpm. It has a certified mileage of 17.6 km a litre under ideal test conditions. TKM may also launch diesel versions of Etios in future.