[TusharK]

According to a media report, Toyota might launch the Hiace and the Alphard MPVs in India over the next 12-18 months.



The Toyota Hiace and Alphard are likely to be imported as completely built units (CBUs) under the recently revised rule for homologation of imported vehicles. In September 2018, the government had announced that homologation would not be required for importing up to 2,500 vehicles per year that have been certified in their country of manufacture.



Toyota was planning to introduce the Hiace last year, but it was put on the backburner due to currency fluctuations and changes in regulations. The company has said that with the new norms in place, it could consider high-end, low volumes products from its international portfolio for India.

Source: Economic Times

Link to Team-BHP News

[karanraheja]

The Alphard is a fantastic vehicle but i fear it will be another over priced Toyota. God has given us 2 kidneys - 1 for buying Apple Iphone and another one for buying a Toyota Vehicle.

[aniketi]

Innova is costly already and this is even bigger than it. My guess that if it is launched here then it's price would go well above 40 Lakhs OTR. That would be a disaster of a pricing for sure. Toyota would have one more dead duck in their arm.

[karan561]

Alphard is surely coming as recently the Mercedes V Class got launched (hence will be similarly priced), but Toyota launching the Hiace ? I doubt.

[jayguar]

Very likely the price will be north of 70 lakhs for either of them. Hiace Commuter would be a good choice for tour operators if priced right. Wouldn't Kia Carnival eat much of the sales of Alphard / Vellfire when launched?

[jinojohnt]

Originally Posted by jayguar

Very likely the price will be north of 70 lakhs for either of them. Hiace Commuter would be a good choice for tour operators if priced right. Wouldn't Kia Carnival eat much of the sales of Alphard / Vellfire when launched?

Kia Carnival is likely to be priced near the Innova, so it's not clear what segment it will eat into

[jayguar]

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

Kia Carnival is likely to be priced near the Innova, so it's not clear what segment it will eat into

Kia Carnival is a size larger than Innova. In the International market, it competes with Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. Infact the interior space in Carnival is slightly larger than in Honda Odyssey. Its very much possible, Kia Carnival will eat into the sales of both Innova and the Alphard / Vellfire.

[GTO]

Agreed with BHPians. My only worry is around the pricing. But if priced well, I believe there is a market ready & waiting for luxury MPVs in India. Quoting my post from the V-Class thread which is also relevant here:

Originally Posted by GTO

I think there is a definite market for a luxury van in India, at double or triple the price of an Innova. I know several Mercedes, BMW & Audi owners who use the humble Innova for their commute to work, their sites (construction, factories, docks) or their luxurious 6-crore-rupee farmhouses. Nothing beats the comfort + practicality of a captain seat Innova Crysta. These guys would easily pay 50 - 80 lakhs for a proper luxury MPV, but there are no viable options for them.

I feel Mercedes should bring this in via CKD. Only then will it have real potential in the market. Else, I'm afraid it'll fail more because of the CBU price than the product. Toyota also has a ready range of luxury vans they can launch here, but the company is so SLOW that we'll probably see a Tesla showroom in India before we do a luxurious Toyota MPV.

[DicKy]

Well, looks like we will be getting the Alphard/ Vellfire for sure, only that it will be in it's Lexusified form.

Lexus unveiled their new Lexus LM MPV, which is basically a fancier Alphard.

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...nveiled-412376

Guess they would want to have the Lexus badge on it, before charging the inevitably higher price tag.

[NAVREVV]

Both Alphard and Vellfire rule China, Hong Kong, Singapore markets but doubt it will sell in numbers in India being a CBU. In my opinion, these cars will compete with Mercedes Benz V Class recently launched in India but Alphard surely is drool worthy car.