[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by nairanupg

Having said that, i wouldnt be surprised if Toyota prices itself out of the race, considering Toyota's history in India. I wouldnt be surprised if the price is close to 40 Lakhs

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

Toyota sales folks in NCR are confident that the Hilux will be launched in the 25-28 lakh ex-showroom range. Let us see if Toyota surprises its sales team too

Just spoke to a dealer and he says the price will be 38-40 OTR Bangalore.

[@PetrolheadASH]

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Thanks!

Originally Posted by Aditya

According to a media report, Toyota is looking to introduce the Hilux pickup truck in India. At present, the company is evaluating the vehicle for our market.

Attachment 2044011

Don't see this garnering success in big cities marring a few who would want to use it to transport goods around. In rural areas it may do numbers but then surely Toyota will price it at a level so that it does not eat into the fortuners fortunes.

[nairanupg]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Just spoke to a dealer and he says the price will be 38-40 OTR Bangalore.

Interesting then....40 lakhs is luxury SUV territory in India.
Hilux for all its virtues, I wouldnt necessarily categorise as luxurious anywhere in the world and I am still not sure what version and spec they would launch in India.
Any guesses on the volumes Toyota may be aiming at ?

[heydj]

Is pickup even a category that sells well here? One could argue its due to lack of choices, lets say choices were there then what? This is what Hilux needs to check. If priced correctly will it sell or not? For me sweet pricing would be Innova price band, anything above becomes excessive pricing for niche product.

[AZT]

Originally Posted by nairanupg

Any guesses on the volumes Toyota may be aiming at ?

Could also be a brand building exercise. The Hilux customer is an enthusiast and from their pricing strategy, Toyota definitely wants to keep moving up-market.

Hilux may not get volumes but will grab eye balls wherever on the road and is obviously an iconic vehicle the world over.

[shireeshjacobs]

Such a pity! This vehicle should have been placed below the equally well equipped full size 7 seater Innova Crysta. After all, it is targeted at the small business owner and designed to carry heavy loads. Pricing it anything above 25L OTR is pointless for the user this truck is designed for. If Toyota does want to make this a high volume vehicle then that’s where it should be placed - rural/ urban small business commercial usage.

Sadly, they will spruce it up with some cladding, off-road kit and market it as a high end off-roader (Frankly the Thar will do a much better job for bashing around on rocks and playing in swamps)! Why would any normal person take a 30-40L OTR vehicle and use it for this kind of rough stuff.

Coming back to the comparison to the Innova, if it’s priced in the same range, then one can forego the additional seats and middle row space for the 2.8 4x4 engine and transmission. Besides that, the Hilux adds no quantifiable value over the Crysta (I hate the Crysta!).

[achyutaghosh]

Originally Posted by shireeshjacobs

Such a pity! This vehicle should have been placed below the equally well equipped full size 7 seater Innova Crysta. After all, it is targeted at the small business owner and designed to carry heavy loads. Pricing it anything above 25L OTR is pointless for the user this truck is designed for.

Besides that, the Hilux adds no quantifiable value over the Crysta (I hate the Crysta!).

If Toyota were going after the small business owners, then the cheaper single cab version with the 2.4 engine should have been on the table, but i guess it is not. Either ways the small business owner will go for the 70% cheaper Bolero Camper.

Think Toyota is not aiming at the business owner who can carry heavy loads, but more of a lifestyle positioning. A lot of hard core off-roaders do not need 3 rows, heck, not even 2 rows- just a capable, rugged and imposing 4x4, along with the reliability and brand image of Toyota. It looks good on Insta too. Good or bad strategy not sure - but that is the crowd they are after.

Original Toyota products (Innova, Fortuner, Hilux) are for profits, volume products for Toyota are rebranded Suzukis.

[Black_Star]

Originally Posted by shireeshjacobs

Sadly, they will spruce it up with some cladding, off-road kit and market it as a high end off-roader (Frankly the Thar will do a much better job for bashing around on rocks and playing in swamps)! Why would any normal person take a 30-40L OTR vehicle and use it for this kind of rough stuff.

You have to ask Mercedes why they make the G-Wagon, why add so much luxury to a off-road vehicle. The reason is simple - because the market demands it.


Most people who buy this wont take this off-road. I still remember what one rewier said about the new Defender when it first came out (cant remember the exact quote) "What people want to know is that if the Defender can tackle Africa when they wont drive the vehicle out of the streets of London"


Who in their right mind would enter an competitive market of commercial pickup trucks when there is a more profitable market for lifestyle pickup?

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by shireeshjacobs

Such a pity! This vehicle should have been placed below the equally well equipped full size 7 seater Innova Crysta. After all, it is targeted at the small business owner and designed to carry heavy loads.

They could very well price it below the Innova. But for that to happen, they have to bring the single cab workhorse versions with the 2.4l engine. But then it wouldn't fit with Toyota's premium positioning (rebadged Marutis notwithstanding)

The Hilux we are getting is the lifestyle version. Bigger tyres, flared arches, bigger engine, off-road tech. In short. We are getting the pickup version of the Fortuner, rather than the Innova. Maybe, Toyota could launch a lower spec version in the future, if they are not carried away by success.

[CEF_Beasts]

I don't know why doesn't Isuzu wake up and offer the new gen D-Max V-Cross for India as well! It has seriously improved over the older gen.

A comparison with the other pickups including the Hilux

https://youtu.be/_vFGcfKQ_8s

[nairanupg]

There are a couple of pertinent points here :-

1) The hardcore offroader category :- Do not think the Hilux is their favourite vehicle. Not ideal with that overhang primarily and we have better, read much cheaper vehicles. there is a chota cab version that may be more apt. i think the single cab is 2.4 litre wala

2) The people who really need a pickup for business, sustainence purposes. I think this category happily goes with the bolero camper now. which ofcourse is around 1/3rd the price and dare i say much cheaper to own and maintain

3) The lifestyle pickup truck owners. This is interesting. Isuzu i think is the only one in this segment and dare i say not a very common sight on the road.

As for the branding exercise, i aint too sure about that, especially when its a Toyota in the Indian market. It doesnot make sense to take a risk in todays environment.
And make no mistake, this is a risk for sure in a segment which is very very under represented in India.

[Venkatesh]

Toyota India officially teases Hilux, launch on 20th January.

https://youtu.be/XnKyHns5VLU

[CEF_Beasts]

Hilux unveiling on 20th Jan, has made an appearance on Toyota's website.

https://youtu.be/XnKyHns5VLU

[Venkatesh]

Toyota Hilux front end revealed in new teaser.

[Sk8r]

The tag line holds true for all of Toyota products I guess. Probably, they're giving a heads-up for their pricing