Learnings from Toyota's press conference in Mumbai today

Image - Yoshinori Noritake, Chief Engineer of Toyota Etios project at the press conference today in Mumbai.

At a press conference to present the Etios in Mumbai, Toyota divulged impressive details and spoke on its journey to bring the Etios to India.

Here are the key takeaways from the press meet.

1. Toyota Etios: Toyota has recorded 7086 bookings since 1st December 2010; 1200 from Mumbai. 40% bookings are from the north, 32% registered from the south of India.

2. Localization on Toyota Etios is currently 70%. Toyota plans to manufacture the powertrain in India over the next couple of years bringing the total to 90%.

3. 2.5 million fans have already viewed the Toyota Etios ad which brand ambassador AR Rahman put up on his facebook page.

4. The diesel launch of Toyota Etios planned for 2011 will benefit from the testing of the Etios and its market response. Management does not plan to talk about this right now.

5. With Etios now available at the lowest price point, Toyota is now a player in 48% of the automobile segment;

6. The water based body paint makes it more energy efficient to produce the vehicle in the factory. It is an environment friendly product.

7. Toyota has no plans to go below the Etios as a segment.