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-   -   Toyota tourist car campaign -Is Toyota India getting desperate for sales. (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/28893-toyota-tourist-car-campaign-toyota-india-getting-desperate-sales.html)

Just tuned into the local radio station and there was this ad from the local toyota dealer regarding buying the innova for a down payment of Rs.75000 and then using your car as a tourist vehicle to earn money as well as pay your EMI's.The ad goes on about low maintainance costs,legendary toyota reliability etc.
This is really the first time I am hearing of anything like this with a manufacturer promoting the use of the car as a tourist vehicle.Good for sales but could also backfire with prospective customers[individuals] thinking twice and even possibly being put off even.

What's your opinion should toyota[other manufacturers] take up such an initiative?
Is toyota really getting desperate to push sales of the Innova.In the long run could it not harm toyota brand as well.Also wasn't one of the reasons of the discontinuation of the qualis on these grounds.

i hope this may be forgiven - the first reply to thread being OT...

just what is it about not wanting to own a car that happens to be used commercially?

different people think differently, i agree. but i for one, find the logic not so cogent for a certain reason. there are so many cars out on our roads now, that exclusivity is something that ppl hanker for in vain. cars now belong to every other guy on your street, and this erosion of 'snob value' makes it an illogical grouse that a model that you own is also used as a taxi.

Buying a Toyota will not put off prospective customers around the world, but may put off an Indian customer. :-/

Its not a Ferrari that is being driven as Taxis, its a Toyota.

If Toyota is doing this then they must have thought about it very well. You will understand their working if you have read a book called "Toyota Way".

In fact if you read this book, I am sure you will give a serious thought of buying a Toyota some day, that much is the effort they put in all aspects of running a company.

Mercs are used as cabs in Germany. I think they still sell a fair number as pvt cars?

Innovas are also used as taxis here in Dubai. Got to ride in one today. :)
Back to the topic, i dont think its a bad idea, considering it would be a low end or mid variant they would be promoting this way, and not the top end version.

From what the thread starter has stated the advt was from a Toyota dealer. Question is did Toyota know about this advt or the dealer took the liberty to do some aggressive advertising on his own.

I think this is what made the entire thread deviate. It is not the model that the thread starter is talking about, it is the car. I have to buy a Corolla and know that it is the most popular taxi in the world - is one thing. I buy a Corolla and use it as a taxi is another. I wouldn't have an issue with the former, just like all the following posters said, but the latter would definitely bother me and I wouldn't like the idea.

The question is, how many of you would buy a car and make it a tourist vehicle to pay its EMI?

Correct me if I'm wrong in interpreting things.

you're kidding right ? in bangalore alone...there must be thousands who think that way...

Its really an ad from a dealer (and not Toyota the company). Considering how the competition has heated up, the dealerships have to look at marketing differently. I would say this is a pretty ingenious attempt.

On a related note, I am sure Toyota would be only too happy to fill up the Qualis-void with the Innova.....somehow that has just not happened.

but its illegal to ferry passengers on a private vehicle. You need to take a TAXI number, if you want to do it legally.

Although this is a common practice in India.

I am not kidding. I just put the question forward the way I saw it to be the thread starter's way. I would have an issue, simply because it would not be right to commercially use a private vehicle. Besides, I wouldn't like it if my car ran hundreds of kilometers a day with tourists.

I just posted my opinion about it and I am not trying to prove a point. I don't know about the thousands, simply because I have no statistics to say something about it. :)

Even the company very much agrees to that. I mean officially. Recently we were on a plant visit to Toyota and towards the end of the same there was a Q&A session.

Everyone on this side of the table was eager to know whether the Qualis is going to make a comeback in any form. To this the PR's reply was 'NO'. He even went to the extent of telling that they have cut and destroyed the dies of the old Qualis. They are very much aware that Qualis now commands a premium in the 2nd hand market (I am not too sure of this...) He also agreed to the fact that it was not right on company's part to expect the prospective buyers of Qualis to now come up and buy a Innova. And it was a hard decision to discontinue the Qualis but they HAD to do it.

Yes roacksterraghu you are right,just to avoid confusion I again say this is not an ad from toyota but from their local dealer.

My query was more for this particular ad ,and not about whether popularity amongst tourists dents sales amongst individual buyers.

With regards to innova replacing qualis the biggest hindrance is the cost factor,tourist operators ask for too high a premium for the innova[acceptable considering less mileage,higher cost price etc] but not many can afford to use the innova services and the cheaper alternatives like tavera and qualis even are preferred..
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The question:

Should toyota/other manufacturers start such a campaign at the national level,ofcourse toyota is in a better position since they have the best vehicle for the taxi market.Maybe just maybe tata could take a hint or two. Or this is not a bright campaign after-all and chances of it backfiring especially amongst individual[for non-tourist purposes] buyers.

When the Qualis was cancelled, it was reported that Toyota did not want the Innova to become a tourist taxi because that would hurt their premium image. Not sure if this was a statement from the company or someone's reasoning.