[shyn]

a hilux has been doing the rounds in tolichowki, HYD for the past 6 months or more.i've seen the car being used to its fullest(loaded with boxes of mangoes, huge water bottles).i guess it's a private import.have posted the pics already in the HYD supercars and imports thread.

[chennai-indian]

I'm in Japan now and just today morning I spotted a SUV (not a pick up - a proper SUV) just like Fortuner. It was named Hilux.

[Pardus]

Wow!.. Looking at the masking of the logo and the name I guess Toyota are seriously thinking of launching Hilux in India. Does this mean the Pick-up trend is growing in India ? May be they are preparing themselves for growth in this segment and lauch Hilux in a years time.

If Toyota ever launch Hilux in India at a reasonable price, I am sure it is going to have a huge dent on Tata Xenon's limited success.

[shortbread]

The Hilux is one of Toyota’s biggest brand names, a favourite with traders globally just like how the Corolla is loved by taxi drivers all over. The problem is at what price will it make it here.

I was doing a comparison with the Xenon. South Africa gets both the Xenon (starts @ 146k rand) and Hilux (starts @ 190k rand). These are approximate prices for the base Single cab 2WD versions. So we can see that the Hilux costs 30% more.

Taking this into an Indian context, the Xenon starting at 7.7lacs, therefore a double cab Hilux will come to 10lacs. But unlike the Tata which is made in India, the Hilux will have to be brought in as a CBU or CKD, propping it upto 11lacs+.

I guess this is the dilemma Toyota will be in, should they launch this at such a price and market it as a niche product, but then is it worth the effort. Secondly localize this heavily to hit a 9 lac price tag, but then will they still get significant volumes to justify such an investment!!

[ranc]

Originally Posted by chennai-indian

I'm in Japan now and just today morning I spotted a SUV (not a pick up - a proper SUV) just like Fortuner. It was named Hilux.

What you saw was Hilux and not fortuner, Hilux has an accessory option which covers the storage area with a canopy like structure just like the Tata Xenon which has that option too (may be they copied it from Toyota). This after market fittment makes it look exactly like the Fortuner.

[mxx]

Originally Posted by kri$hna

Like the Sumo Grande came out of a pick up, i would like to see another version from Toyota coming out of this pick up, ala cheaper fortuner for the masses !!

Well fortuner is a cheap thing that came out of this as it is built on hilux platform(IMV platform) along with innova. Only thing is that fortuner is not cheap here in India.

[rahul016]

Originally Posted by shortbread

Taking this into an Indian context, the Xenon starting at 7.7lacs, therefore a double cab Hilux will come to 10lacs. But unlike the Tata which is made in India, the Hilux will have to be brought in as a CBU or CKD, propping it upto 11lacs+.

I agree with you.Its will be on the expensive side but will be a total value for money.Its high time that a new segment must be created for pick-ups in India.

[vinaydas]

Originally Posted by shortbread

The Hilux is one of Toyota’s biggest brand names, a favourite with traders globally just like how the Corolla is loved by taxi drivers all over. The problem is at what price will it make it here.

I was doing a comparison with the Xenon. South Africa gets both the Xenon (starts @ 146k rand) and Hilux (starts @ 190k rand). These are approximate prices for the base Single cab 2WD versions. So we can see that the Hilux costs 30% more.

Taking this into an Indian context, the Xenon starting at 7.7lacs, therefore a double cab Hilux will come to 10lacs. But unlike the Tata which is made in India, the Hilux will have to be brought in as a CBU or CKD, propping it upto 11lacs+.

I guess this is the dilemma Toyota will be in, should they launch this at such a price and market it as a niche product, but then is it worth the effort. Secondly localize this heavily to hit a 9 lac price tag, but then will they still get significant volumes to justify such an investment!!

Wont it be a Crime to the people who paid close to 24 lacs for a Fortuner(On Road Blore) if the Hilux was Brought here for 11 lacs.Thats being Highly optimistic.
No way you are going to get a Hilux in India for 11 lacs at least in the fairly Distant future(unless you are expecting the 1.4 Diesel on the Hilux ).
My Guess is 17 lac rupee on road Bangalore(comes up to 15 ex showroom karnataka) No matter how much the localization is.
If at all the hilux is going to be launched here in the first place.

[aryasanyal]

Originally Posted by shyn

a hilux has been doing the rounds in tolichowki, HYD for the past 6 months or more.i've seen the car being used to its fullest(loaded with boxes of mangoes, huge water bottles).i guess it's a private import.have posted the pics already in the HYD supercars and imports thread.

Wow! Another Nagaland registration - this time in Hyderabad. Seems like it's the new registration destination for folks wanting to save some moolah.

[prince_pervez]

Looking at the fate of the Xenon from TATA Toyota might not launch it or even if they do they should not expect people to queue up for bookings. Except people involved in agriculture etc. I did not like the looks of it. I like looks of the Dodge and Ford counterparts.

[Parm]

Hilux is a favorite among Talibaans in A-stan and the american special forces were so bogged down in their heavy clumsy HUMVEES that they were never able to turn around their humvees so quickly and chase the talibans, their humvees could be seen from miles and identified as american forces!

guess what happened?

Toyota USA gifted 100 Toyota Tacomas (Hilux heritage but with a V6 engine) to american special forces and told them not to take of toyota logos from the trucks.

after getting the V6 Tacoma double cabin 4WD pick trucks, the american special forces were kicking some Talibaan A.S.S. very hard!

The Invincible Hilux!

[Willeys78]

If Toyota brings Hilux to India, that can redefine the way Indians use pick-ups here due to its bullet proof reliability and sturdiness. This vehicle can sustain most of the abuse and last really long without much issues.

I was lucky enough to experience the sturdiness of Hilux in the war affected Liberia in West Africa 2 years back. I had to travel through the mud road throughout Liberia for an infrastructure project. Once we leaves the City(Or can we call it city?), there were no roads existed. Also there were not many vehicles on the way other than few UN - Nissan Patrols and Prados. One time i had to travel some where around 450 kms from the capital(Monrovia) of Liberia to our project location. We had 3 pick ups on the trip. 2 almost new Mitsubishi Triton pick ups and an 8 year old Toyota Hilux. But when it came to off-roading at reasonably high speeds through mud road(or no road) the hilux was very reliable and we reached back safely without any issues to the people onboard or to the old generation Hilux. I am sure if we were travelling on any other vehicle at that stupid speed, we would have brought it back in pieces.

The next experience was in Mozambique early this year. Again i had to travel a bit between Maputo, the capital of Mozambique where our corporate office located and to the insides of Mozambique where the actual project took off. This time since it was a new project, company fleet had 2009 Hilux pick ups which was generations ahead of the old hilux i traveled in Liberia. Since project involved lot of funds and the project was huge, the managers never gets chance to check each and every driver many times, a lot of abuse was happening and these vehicles were performing without any problems or having absolutely no issues. Loaded fully most of the times and 4 people on board with speeds up to 160 when there is road and speeds above 80-100(Read i was not driving! as i can't treat a vehicle that way) through mud roads was an entirely different experience.

So if this vehicle comes to India, due to its rock solid reliability and utility it can help the agriculture as well as many sectors use this pick-up very well. India really deserves this amazing product from Toyota at-least in another 1 year’s time. Toyota guys, please listen up, we Indians are becoming a super power in many sectors and if the rest of the world can enjoy your company's superb products, why can't us? How many countries in the world where you guys got this kind of incredible response in a very short time for a not so luxury SUV called Foretuner? This defines today's Indians purchasing power and need for good & reliable transportation. Make these pick ups here and price it reasonably, slowly Indian's will catch up with the utility of reliable Pick-ups like the rest of the world and eventually this can also be another success story for Toyota here.

[NOS Power]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

I agree, these pick-ups look cool, but reality is that the market is very limited. The xenon has barely sold despite being a very good package.

The simple reason the Xenon didn't sell even among enthusiasts is because for the price one would pay for it, it doesn't even have half the quality.

Myself and SaurabhM had the opportunity to ride in the rear bench of one of these new generation Hilux pickups during our Indo Bhutan rally, and i must say they are very comfortable. Even quality of plastics, seat fabric is good.

In Bhutan the Hilux pickup costs around Rs. 10 Lacs considering Indian to Bhutan currency rate is 1:1, my safe bet is that it will cost more.

[ranc]

The Fortuner in Thailand starts at around 12 lakh bhats and the Hilux starts at 5.5 lakh bhats. If they bring the vehicle to India in the same way as Fortuner ie CKD then it should cost around 10 lakhs.

[ACM]

If launched would not come for anything less than 16L in AWD mode. the engine being the same as the fortuner, the only place they can cut pricing is on the rear row seats, and the features like stearing mounted controls etc. Not much possible so with the fortuner at 19 Ex factory, this would be closely priced. How many would buy at that price a 5 seater pickup.

The pickup culture is more predominant where small business men use their personal vehicle for carrying stuff for their own business. A big requirement for Thailand, but the people who are into similar business in India cannot affor the Hilux out here.

The only way this can come in, is if they price it at close to 10L, but can they do it, or rather will they do it. If so they do have a winner on their hands.