Toyota gears up for small car launch
Posted at April 29th, 2009 under Auto News | 
Print This Post
Toyota is firing on all cylinders to make its upcoming small car a grand success. Toyota has said that its small car would be in the premium hatchback segment and it would compete with the likes of Volkswagen Polo, Fiat Grande Punto and Honda Jazz. “The compact car will be priced in the B+ category,” said Sandeep Singh, Deputy MD,Toyota Kirloskar Motor said. Toyota’s small car is expected to be priced in the range of Rs5 to Rs7 lakhs. Toyota hopes to sell 6000 units of this small car every month. The small car would will have a localisation of 65% when the car hits the showroom which will gradually increased to 90% by 2011. The compact car will have a localisation of 65% to start with, and will gradually be taken to 90% by 2011, said Shekar Viswanathan, deputy MD (Commercial) said. “With the compact car, we want to be in semi-rural and rural towns,” he added.With the launch of small car, Toyota will also expand the dealer network from the current 82 to 150. Seems like Japanese auto giant is cooking big things for Indian market.
I feel it is too late for Toyota and Honda to venture in India’s small car market. I am sure that they would succeed because of the quality. Till date Toyota was tit-lipped about the small car, though the market speculation are pointing that Toyota is working on a small car for India. I guess they disclosed the new car strategy after Honda firmly revealed the Jazz launch. I am sure the small car market would be cramped with lot of new small beauties ..:)
Toyota and Honda keep calling their compacts as Volume cars. I don’t see any volumes with prices around 7 lacs.Moreover they will find it hard once Maruti launches New Swift with KB series engine which will be priced below current model taking benefit of excise reduction.I think B++++ would be the category for these cars
a common qustion in everybody’s mind that why > 6 lac tag for PETROL HATCHBACK? we all have seen fate of skoda’s small car then why honda is following similar steps ? dont they learn any thing from swift vdi’s success??
but….wait…. i forgot to say something that
Honda and Skoda people are more intellegent than us!!!