[fawad0222]

I believe the notion that indian market can't afford Toyota's or other global brands products may be right but the cause behind IMHO is excessive government taxation , which take them beyond the reach of a large number of prospective buyers. GDP has improved and so is the people's buying capacity but it's the faulty policy making which relies more on taxes than some hard work and promotion of industries, which is the real reason for the problems today faced by automobile manufacturers, resulting in different ways they adapt to the situation. Other factors like public preference for fuel efficient and gadget heavy cars rather than safe cars do play their part too but such preferences are a natural learning curve for any country like ours where owning a car is slowly becoming a mass trend from a fashion statement it used to be in the past.

[Reinhard]

To many - the news actually may read as "Yaris was still on sale". Sad way in which such a highly promoted (at launch) product exits the market. Personally I feel Toyota shares the blame of this failure together with our market. The car's feature distribution, engine options and pricing was all a bit of a miss. Safety kit was the USP - which was not as well advertised as it should/could have been. In the tsunami of SUVs - this car was not seen at all anywhere.

The rebadged Ciaz makes sense for sure. In fact I'd say - the Belta makes far more sense than the Glanza / UrbanCruiser in this rebadging exercise.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by dragracer567

The reason Toyota is popular in most countries is not because it is more reliable than an equivalent Hyundai or Honda but because of the easy availability of parts and that's because of just how popular Toyota is as a brand. ......as a beater car when we were in Saudi which my father ran for 300,000 km within 3 years...wasn't rare to see Hyundai Elantra & Sonata taxis that ran for 500,000 km in Saudi... So, if a Elantra/Sonata can run for 500k while giving you a better interior and more features, what exactly are you paying for in a Toyota?....But I disagree with the notion that Toyota is much more reliable than other brands and hence can cut costs when it comes to the interior and features.....

Agree with you on the parts availability. Even other Japanese brands suffer due to parts issue in the Saudi market, compared to Toyota. While a Nissan or Honda would have parts of one quality, Toyota vehicles would have three or four types of parts. First quality Japanese, second quality Thai/Taiwanese, third quality Chinese and even lower knock-offs. So in most cases, Toyota is enjoying the first mover advantage (for reliability) globally just like Maruti is enjoying in India. Hyundai on the other hand started making reliable cars only around the mid 2000s. Not that Hyundai is any less reliable than Toyota, but most Hyundai models sold in KSA are 4pot NA petrols with TC gearboxes. And Hyundai has not dared challenge the Japanese in the BoF segments, which is where Toyota has made and kept its reliability king image.

Well. We have seen Skoda taxis doing 300,000 kms in Mediterranean region and modern Merc taxis doing 500,000 kms plus in Germany. But...

And regarding Toyota cutting down costs in the Etios. Yes they have in the interiors and other exterior bits. But they didn't comprmoise on the strong fundamentals of a car nor on safety. We can't say the same for sub 20lakhs Hyundais. Reliable not just for the vehcile, but also as a brand. You can still take even an import Toyota to their dealers and get it serviced or get parts easily, can't say the same for a 10+ years old Sonata or Tucson. In India, atleast.

[shashi792]

Originally Posted by shancz

- Hilux CBU : doubtful, it would appeal to different target audience and as a CBU it will be difficult to compete with the Isuzu VMax on price.

Based on my sources, this is something that is in the works currently. It will be slotted between Innova and Fortuner and will compete with VCross. But, being Toyota, it will be expensive starting around 35 ish.

[toyotafanboi]

Is there a possibility Toyota could bring the Yaris Cross to the Indian market?

[shancz]

Originally Posted by shashi792

Based on my sources, this is something that is in the works currently. It will be slotted between Innova and Fortuner and will compete with VCross. But, being Toyota, it will be expensive starting around 35 ish.

That's exactly my point, its not a luxury vehicle. Its a tough hauling vehicle, so will find use with a very limited set of buyers who will actually use it for what it offers like they do with the VCross and the earlier Tata Xenon.
Other buyers spending that kind of money would be more comfort and luxury oriented which isn't the USP of the Hilux.
Also the market isn't that big for such a vehicle, if it was, the Xenon would still exist.
But that's not something Toyota doesn't know already.

I have seen a lot of Hiluxs in the UAE serving well with the electricity department, as goods carriers and with line maintenance crews across the desert landscape. Which IMO was the proper use its abilities. Never saw a private individual using it to drive either on road or off (Landcruisers fit that requirement quite well).

On the pricing even overseas the Toyotas are expensive than their counterparts like the Nissans for each segment. Toyota premium if I may put it that way but they do hold a sway and that's a fact too.

In a young, diverse and evolving country like ours, with the "ever changing needs" of the buyers, who aren't going to buy a car just because its a Toyota, its Toyota who have to get out of their comfort zone and not the other way round, IMHO.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by dragracer567

The whole world doesn't say so. Also, there are much more Citys, Vernas, Ventos & Rapids in our forum than Yaris', so not the best indicator,

We are talking Toyota the brand, not just one segment. We also have lots more Fortuner's and Innova's. Anecdotally there hasnt been an unreliable Toyota in India from their least expensive to most expensive car.

Here is the list of longest lasting cars on the road. Now look at how many times Toyota is on that list vs any other manufacturer. (Not one Hyundai in the list by the way)

https://santanderconsumerusa.com/blo...sting-vehicles or this https://www.iseecars.com/longest-lasting-cars-study

Why do most taxis in USA are Camry's or Prius's? Thats true in Australia as well with both Camry and Kluger (USA's highlander)? Which is the most popular people mover taxi in India? Innova. Or in south asian countries? Toyota is the most popular brand in the harsh environment of the Australian outback, infact you could argue that it is the only one. Most serious offroader across the world swear by Toyota's. Hilux is the most reliable pick up truck in the world, Land Cruiser is the most reliable large offroader in the world where it is available. You have Toyota Tacoma, Tundra and 4Runner in USA. Most mining companies in Australia run Toyota's because they know they last the longest in harsh environments with minimal maintenance.

To an average punter there is no a massive difference in reliability between a Hyundai and a Toyota but it does to people who's lives and livelihood depend on reliability.

Originally Posted by dragracer567

I have lived at various points of my life in various countries of the Gulf and Europe while I have very close friends living the US and Canada, so my views aren't localized. The reason Toyota is popular in most countries is not because it is more reliable than an equivalent Hyundai or Honda but because of the easy availability of parts and that's because of just how popular Toyota is as a brand.

Wrong. Go through that list again. Easy part availability is dependent on how popular a given brand is and reliability is one of the major reason why a brand is popular. In saying that though, Toyota being the most reliable does not mean Hyundai's or Kia's or Honda's are unreliable.

Originally Posted by dragracer567

This is also the reason why Toyotas are not as popular as other European brands in Europe, because Toyota parts there aren't as cheap.

"This is also the reason why German Cars are not as popular as other Japanese brands in Japan, because German car parts there aren't as cheap."

I dont think it has got anything to with parts not being cheap. Prius is one of the most popular taxi in London for e.g. and it comes with a complex hybrid system.

Originally Posted by dragracer567

We use to own a 2012 Hyundai Accent (Verna in India) as a beater car when we were in Saudi which my father ran for 300,000 km within 3 years because my dad had to run frequent 500 km round trip every week, all he did was do the regular maintenance for the car as prescribed. It wasn't rare to see Hyundai Elantra & Sonata taxis that ran for 500,000 km in Saudi. How much more reliability could you possibly need? So, if a Elantra/Sonata can run for 500k while giving you a better interior and more features, what exactly are you paying for in a Toyota?

Is Hyundai selling Sonata at the price of an Etios in India? How did we go from talking about Toyota in India to Toyota in Saudi?

The same Hyundai sells unsafe cars in Indian even though it is one from their international models. Same car, two different markets, entirely different results. Bland interiors or unsafe cars - pick your poison?

[saisree]

Originally Posted by fawad0222

I believe the notion that indian market can't afford Toyota's or other global brands products may be right but the cause behind IMHO is excessive government taxation , which take them beyond the reach of a large number of prospective buyers. GDP has improved and so is the people's buying capacity but it's the faulty policy making which relies more on taxes than some hard work and promotion of industries, which is the real reason for the problems today faced by automobile manufacturers, resulting in different ways they adapt to the situation.

Agree with the taxation part of imports/CBU's and CKD's. But the taxation policy same for all the cars/brands and manufacturers. So why only certain manufacturers are complaining? Who is asking them not to produce / procure parts locally?

[mohitchalla]

Although we knew that this was coming, this is sad nonetheless. The Yaris was one of the most underrated offering in India during its time and the only real competitor to the Honda City.

[itsbaman]

Well, Yaris was not an exceptional product, but it was the original TOYOTA product with a good build, the first of the segment all variant automatic option. It's a sad state of affairs that this product failed in India, but that is what is happening to all genuinely good products nowadays.

[sid_deb]

This move doesn't make any sense. Selling a re-badged car which doesn't exist in Toyota's current portfolio makes sense, but why stop selling an existing variant and get another re-badged vehicle which will have similar 3 digit sales figures only.

Anyways given this is happening already, Toyota just needs to add a re-badged XL6 now and Maruti can either officially shut down the Nexa channel or actually make it new-age focusing on electric vehicles or hybrids. S-Cross and Ignis anyways have flopped in the market and hardly drive any numbers.

[AZT]

Originally Posted by toyotafanboi

Is there a possibility Toyota could bring the Yaris Cross to the Indian market?

I wouldn't think so. Toyota doesn't want to compete on price and that's why milking out the Innova and Fortuner. Competing sub 20l with the Creta / Astor / XUV will just not be worth their time and investment.

[RGK]

I think Toyota India strongly believes that it can survive with Innova alone by increasing its price periodically.

[sramanat]

I instantly liked the Yaris when it was launched and wanted to get one. Changing jobs, moving cities put a wrench in the plans. A car with AT in all variants, top-spec variant getting 7 airbags etc. were its USP. Now I drive a City. Looking back at the Yaris, I think part of its failure is due to explosion of SUVs market (sub-4m specifically) and sedans had to excel at something to even get into people's shortlists. The 7 airbags was the Yaris's only differentiator which was quickly offered in the City and Verna. Come to think of it, the roof mounted A/C vents were a nifty functional touch, but precluded the sunroof. That was possibly the nail in the coffin.

[Baddychat]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

Yaris hasn't been anyone's Yaar for sure! Less than 20k units sold till date since it's launch 3 years back!! Brought in to compete with the Honda City it didn't make a mark and was never on the buyers radar at all. I haven't driven one, but can't imagine why it didn't sell despite being a Toyota?! Looks like Covid is taking it's toll on many car companies and models: time for consolidation in the automobile sector, I think!!

I think Toyota really got the pricing strategy wrong with the Yaris. They thought they could charge a premium on the Yaris as they do for the Crysta and the Fortuner. In that price sensitive segment where there is already enough competition, it would never have worked.
Also they should have got the Vios instead of the Yaris to compete with the City and the likes. Vios is the direct competitor of the City in SE Asian markets. Why upsell the Yaris which could have gone against the Amaze and Dzire and could have won ?