2016 Toyota Fortuner to launch in India in 2017 - Report

16/11/2015 - 16:03 Toyota Fortuner, Toyota Aravind Jayachandran

Will be locally produced at TKM's plant in Karnataka.

Prospective customers looking forward to the next generation 2016 Toyota Fortuner will have to wait a bit longer in India. According to Autocar India, the new Toyota Fortuner will reach Indian showrooms by 2017.

A report suggested that the company is planning to produce 30,000 units of the new SUV annually.

The long delay is attributed to Toyota Kirloskar Motor trying to rope in component suppliers for increasing localization of the Fortuner’s assembly at its plant in Bidadi, Karnataka. Parent company TMC has already invested on a new engine plant, and assembly of the 2016 Toyota Fortuner as well as the 2016 Toyota Innova and a mid-size sedan. A report suggested that the company is planning to produce 30,000 units of the new SUV annually, which equates to 2500 units per month.

The new engine plant will make the all-new 2.4-liter and 2.8-liter GD diesel units that will go into the Fortuner. The Thai-spec Fortuner develops 150 PS/400 Nm and 177 PS/450 Nm. Tranmission options include a 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic, while a 4WD system is exclusive to the top spec "V" variant.

2016 Toyota Fortuner dashboard at Thailand Big Motor Sale — The interior looks more premium and adopts a car-like design.

For 2016, Toyota will focus on marketing the all new 2016 Innova, which is one of TKM's best selling nameplates in India. It is expected to debut in Indonesia on November 23, 2015.

[Source: Autocar India]