Top-end variants of Toyota Yaris will be expensive - Report

TKM unveiled the Toyota Yaris sedan for the Indian market at the 2018 Auto Expo earlier this month. The vehicle will arrive in April 2018 and will be pitted against the Maruti Ciaz, Honda City, and the Hyundai Verna.

In a recent interview with ET Auto, Shekar Viswanathan, vice-chairman - External Affairs, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, hinted that the fully-loaded variant of the Toyota Yaris may command a premium over its rivals. He said -

The seven airbags in the Yaris will make it an expensive vehicle simply because of safety features in it. We don't want to compromise on safety. At the same time, we cannot forget the canon of affordability by the consumer.

The company claims that the inclusion of features like seven airbags have been incorporated into the Yaris based on customer feedback. Toyota is confident that despite pricing the sedan on the higher side, volumes will not take a hit.

Toyota has equipped the Indian-spec version of the Yaris with a beige-black interior. Highlights of the features list include power driver’s seat, automatic climate control, roof-mounted air vent for rear seat occupants with ambient illumination, touchscreen infotainment system with navigation and 4.2-inch MID. On the safety front, the sedan gets 7 airbags, all-wheel disc brakes, front and rear parking sensors, rear camera, Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).

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The Yaris' chief rivals will be the Hyundai Verna, Honda City, and the Maruti Ciaz. Currently, the fully loaded petrol automatic variant of the Verna retails for around INR 14.52 lakhs (on-road Delhi), while the Honda City ZX CVT petrol costs INR 15.68 lakhs (on-road Delhi). The Maruti Ciaz carries a price tag of around INR 12.20 lakhs (on-road Delhi). We expect Toyota to price the top-end petrol automatic variant at around INR 15 lakhs  (on-road Delhi).

[source - ET Auto]