[Turbanator]

We will rework product plans, at least till 2020. So me of the products that we had planned to introduce will be rethought,“ Viswanathan said.<p> The company's problems can be gauged by the fact that it invested Rs 1,200 crore for a diesel engine plant that started production only recently . It has set up a capacity for around 1 lakh engines annually , but is utilizing around 30% of this. “We cannot live with the betrayal of faith.

Toyota India is selling more than 7000 Innova's a month + 1500-2500 Liva twin's wonder how are they utilizing 30 % capacities ?

[avdhesh15]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Toyota India is selling more than 7000 Innova's a month + 1500-2500 Liva twin's wonder how are they utilizing 30 % capacities ?

I asked myself the same question even though apparently only the 2.4 & 2.8 engines will be produced here (LINK).

At a capacity of 108k engines running @ 30%, are they saying only 32k Innovas will be sold? Those numbers will be done in 4-5 months which results in the plant running at 75-80% which will increase once new Fortuner is launched!

Folks say anything for a news byte and to grab headlines.

[dinesh6481]

Frankly I have never owned a Toyota. But I consider myself one of the biggest fanboy of T. I drove RAV4 extensively during my UN tour and was bitten by the bug. Then back home I tried to analyse the success of Innova and realised that in all my long trips I have never had seen any Toyota vehicle with bonnet up, astride the highway. People have different expectations from their choice of cars and are ready to pay premium for that particular expectation. For me it's the reliability of my vehicle. Toyota vehicles though sparse in interior score highest in that category. I would even over look the rear bench ride quality of Fortuner just for T badge because it meets my primary requirement of reliability. As far as the brand loyalty is concern I think Toyota and Honda scores maximum among all brands closely followed by Maruti and Mahindra. No wonder Toyota could built such a big brand in India based on two models only. Even Etios Twins are very well sold in Cab segment though their acceptability in customer segment was always in doubt.

[StarScream]

For a growing country with evolving rules and new challenges like pollution - changes in policy are par for the course. A company like Toyota should really not be cribbing. Mahindra smartly adapted didn't they? I didn't hear a squeak from Toyota when diesel was heavily subsidized and the situation played to their advantage.

Even England, believing CO2 was the chief culprit, for the longest time encouraged diesel cars. When the air quality in their cities deteriorated, they realized the mistake in their policy and rectified it.

[volkman10]

Toyota lifts India investment freeze; to launch more cars.

Japan's Toyota will launch more cars and ramp up volumes in the world's fifth biggest car market, reversing an earlier decision to freeze investment after the Supreme Court lifted an eight month ban on sale of large diesel vehicles in Delhi.

There is no issue on Lexus now; on Daihatsu, the plan is being worked out of Japan

Source

[DriveOnceMore]

Can we expect Sienta or Avanza, which are available in Thailand today?
After Innova has reached the new highs, there is vacant space in Toyota's portfolio in India.
Also, I wish they could bring Vios.
Pictures:




Image Source

[volkman10]

ABS and EBD now standard in all Toyota vehicles in India.

Toyota standardised dual airbags across all their cars in 2014, now Toyota has introduced ABS and EBD as standard across its model range. This will also include the fleet vehicles (pre-facelift) which it will continue to sell, alongside the Platinum Etios and new Etios Liva

source

[sumeethaldankar]

Completely off-topic but I was just thinking most of the vehicles made by Toyota are lapped up by Taxi operators.

1. The Qualis – Used as long distance taxi
2. The Innova same as the Qualis
3. The Camry – Used mostly as Corporations to ferry around guests etc.
4. The Etios - No need to even say anything about this one as we all know who buys the car the most.


The only cars remaining are the Corolla, The Etios Liva and the mighty Fortuner. But how many of these are there are on the road compared to the above. Sure the Fortuner may have made some decent nos but I think that Toyota is primarily a Taxi auto company who is out there to make vehicles only for the Taxi segment. The private car buyer in my humble opinion is more or less has been given the step motherly treatment in the form of poor interiors (Etios) or exorbitant prices (New Innova & Fortuner).

There should probably be a thread on this, Toyota India the way forward. Mods kindly delete/edit if not appropriate to this thread.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Completely off-topic but I was just thinking most of the vehicles made by Toyota are lapped up by Taxi operators.

1. The Qualis &ndash; Used as long distance taxi
2. The Innova same as the Qualis
3. The Camry &ndash; Used mostly as Corporations to ferry around guests etc.
4. The Etios - No need to even say anything about this one as we all know who buys the car the most.


The only cars remaining are the Corolla, The Etios Liva and the mighty Fortuner. But how many of these are there are on the road compared to the above. Sure the Fortuner may have made some decent nos but I think that Toyota is primarily a Taxi auto company who is out there to make vehicles only for the Taxi segment. The private car buyer in my humble opinion is more or less has been given the step motherly treatment in the form of poor interiors (Etios) or exorbitant prices (New Innova & Fortuner).

There should probably be a thread on this, Toyota India the way forward. Mods kindly delete/edit if not appropriate to this thread.

You are entitled to your opinion but let me just put in a general perspective after having numerous Toyota's in my family in india and abroad.

1. Etios- it was supposed to be a practical family sedan with fuel efficient engines offering adequate performance. Spacious interiors and a huge boot. The Etios does all of this. The handling is predictable infact I find it fun to drive thanks to the balanced suspension setup. The interiors may look cheap to some but for others what matters is their durability which is what they offer. They may feel cheap but they will last longer without any rattles.

2. Liva- Everything that the Etios offers in the form of a hatchback. The 1.5 TRD Sportivo still remains one of my favorite hatchbacks. Unfortunately discontinued and now offered in the cross.

A few years back Mahindra had launched the Logan with a similar mindset and it failed. Surprisingly the cabbies still want a practical car and that's why the Etios and verito/ Logan are favorite among the cabbies.

3. Corolla- I have a 9th gen Corolla and have extensively driven the Corolla's after and before that too. A reliable, powerful and torquey 1.8L twin can engine which will go on and on. The Altis onwards the Corolla was tuned for comfort hence the soft suspension. But the pre-Altis facelift Corolla's (2005-2008) had a well balanced suspension setup which made them fun.
The Corolla/Altis is the most spacious in its class and the rear reclining seats on the new Altis makes it a better package altogether. The 1.4 D-4D may not be good for an enthusiast but the sahib's who prefer the back seat find it good. The nvh levels are low. The high ground clearance is best in class which makes driving on Indian roads easy. Like the sahib's even cabbie's want a luxurious, reliable and fuel efficient car. But one thing that I now wish the Corolla gets is 7 airbags like the crysta which is coming in the 2017 version. The 2.0 D-4D for us enthusiasts.

3. Innova Crysta- You may find it over priced but the kind of equipment the z and v variants offer I think it's priced well. The equipment on offer is more or less equivalent to the D-segment sedans. Most importantly you have powerful engines now with sorted gear ratios. The interior space, safety features and the reliability make up for the rest of it. Frankly there is no competition to the Innova Crysta, there can be alternatives but you will be making fair share of compromises with them. Even though it's common among cabbie's, it's a favorite among private buyers in that range. 8k units per month is no joke.

4. Fortuner- When it was launched it had better interior space than the old Endy and a better engine than the Pajero. Basically the Fortuner was a jack of all trades. The sore point for a few was innova like interiors. Mechanically the Fortuner may not have changed much but the interiors definitely have. Usually body on frame vehicles have a life of 10-12 years before they are updated. The upcoming Fortuner is at par with the competition in terms of interiors and safety features.

5. Camry- Being sold as a CBU is big problem but it still is one of the favorite among corporates. A nice 2.5L petrol hybrid engine which offers decent performance and fuel efficiency. Legroom is in abundance and the rear reclining seats make it luxurious. Fits the bill perfectly for the target audience. Although a Diesel engine is sorely missed.

Toyota makes practical cars keeping in mind the general requirements of the buyer from that particular segment. It's common on automotive forums to label them as boring just because they are practical. But again to each his own. Cabbie's need practicality hence they prefer getting Toyota's. And to be very frank 500-600 units/month of the Corolla, 8k units of the Crysta and around 180-200/month units of the Camry isn't bought only by cabbies. Not adding the Fortuner numbers as the new one is around the corner but even the old one was averaging 900-1000 units/ month. People who choose Toyota just don't buy it because it's a Toyota but buy it because they know Toyota offers a terrific package in all their products.

Considering the general complaints Toyota should think of redesigning the interiors of the Etios or Liva(I don't have an issue as such). The current line up of Toyota is pretty decent and once the Corolla and Fortuner get the required update it will be even better. They need to focus on bringing in more products like the RAV4, Yaris or the much talked about Lexus brand.

Asit

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

You are entitled to your opinion but let me just put in a general perspective after having numerous Toyota's in my family in india and abroad.

I agree with whatever you say. I was just being sarcastic at Toyota. They are the top at No 1 or No 2 auto co in the world but in India they have a measly 6 or 7 % market share. They can do better than this. They are just happy with whatever sales comes from products like the Etios and stubbornly refuse to change. They should take a page out of Maruti's book and see why they have a 40% plus market share but they are just contend making over priced products and milk the customer in the name of Quality.

[sibot]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

I agree with whatever you say. I was just being sarcastic at Toyota. They are the top at No 1 or No 2 auto co in the world but in India they have a measly 6 or 7 % market share. They can do better than this. They are just happy with whatever sales comes from products like the Etios and stubbornly refuse to change. They should take a page out of Maruti's book and see why they have a 40% plus market share but they are just contend making over priced products and milk the customer in the name of Quality.

On the flip side, they DO provide quality and peace of mind that cars from their stable are reliable. Most of all, they provide the satisfaction of safety. Maruti may have a chunk of share in the market, but it plays in a completely different segment I feel.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

I agree with whatever you say. I was just being sarcastic at Toyota. They are the top at No 1 or No 2 auto co in the world but in India they have a measly 6 or 7 % market share. They can do better than this. They are just happy with whatever sales comes from products like the Etios and stubbornly refuse to change. They should take a page out of Maruti's book and see why they have a 40% plus market share but they are just contend making over priced products and milk the customer in the name of Quality.

It's not just the name of quality but the parts which people generally label cheap last longer than usual.

Cracking the Maruti segment? I really doubt if Toyota can make much of a change under 10L. Maybe the vios hatch will be a good offering in the premium hatchback segment but their actually territory starts from 10L. I feel Toyota needs the following changes apart from the updated Fortuner and Altis which are already happening soon-

1. Launch of Vios to tackle the C2 segment with both diesel and petrol engine options. An automatic transmission option on both the engines can do wonders in that segment.

2. Launch of the RAV4 diesel. With Hyundai planing to launch the Tucson again and full size SUV's moved above the 25L bracket, RAV4 should help them have some presence in the compact SUV category.

3. A CKD Camry with petrol-hybrid and Diesel engine options. The current set of features+ sunroof should make it a brilliant package.

4. CKD Prado with a higher state of tune at sub 60L ex-showroom pricing. The current pricing of the Prado is ridiculous.

5. Launch of the highlander in diesel avatar to bridge the gap between the Fortuner and the Prado.

6. Reduce the price of the mighty Landcruiser. Currently it's a loot.

7. Launch Lexus with LX diesel and LS hybrid petrol and price it at par with the competition.

8. Launch the GS, ES, GX and RX with hybrid and Diesel engine options.

Asit

[amalji]

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

1. Launch of Vios to tackle the C2 segment with both diesel and petrol engine options. An automatic transmission option on both the engines can do wonders in that segment.

• And bring in the hybrid engine option as well for the Vios. The cheapest true hybrid will certainly be a hit. With the tax exemptions for the hybrid combined with the additional cost needed for BS6/Euro6 diesels, hybrid will turn out to be a much better option for Toyota.
• Toyota's Euro 6 D-4D VGT engine is a very drivable engine churning out peak torque from 1400 rpms to 2800 rpms. So, that's good as well. But, from an economy perspective, it might not make much sense due to the cost offset and the recurring cost for Urea.

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

6. Reduce the price of the mighty Landcruiser. Currently it's a loot.

Unless, production is done from India, this can never be achieved. Currently, it's being imported.

[RavenAvi]

No more small cars for India anytime soon, according to Akito Tachibana, managing director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor.

The big boss of the Japanese auto major admitted that it has burnt it's fingers with the Etios/Liva debacles, and future launches will be extremely limited until safety and emission rules are simplified.

The company will now divert it's attention towards launching hybrid versions of it's existing fleet, with the Innova Crysta, the Fortuner and the Corolla Altis going through the hybridisation upgrade first.

The good news - he confirmed that the Yaris will be launched in India after it is sufficiently tweaked for Indian road conditions.

“It is time to change our strategy …. The Etios was conceptualised in 2005, and hit the market in 2010. By then, customer preferences had changed.

Constituting 45% of domestic sales, the A segment is a big market. But that’s not my priority.

For Toyota, it is very difficult to develop India-specific vehicle."

Hindustan Times

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

The company will now divert it's attention towards launching hybrid versions of it's existing fleet, with the Innova Crysta, the Fortuner and the Corolla Altis going through the hybridisation upgrade first.

The good news - he confirmed that the Yaris will be launched in India after it is sufficiently tweaked for Indian road conditions.

Don't know how they are going to hybridise the Innova and Fortuner, but the Corolla is a sure contender for an hybrid model, as it is readily available in the int'l market in a 1.8l version, while the Etios (or Yaris) can have the 1.5l hybrid of the previous gen Prius.


My SA keeps on saying that the Yaris will come in 2017 for sure, though he himself admits that Toyota has been toying with it since 2008 and also the Yaris that India will get maybe decontented compared to the Thai version.