Report - Toyota evaluating a Honda City rival on the Etios platform

ZigWheels learns from sources in Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) that one of the various models studied by the company to get a better grip on India is a rival to the Honda City and Hyundai Verna.

The mid-size sedan segment is not facing a shortage of launches as all participants but for Renault have introduced refreshes or significantly new variants of their sedans in the last 12 months. The segment got its fire back when Honda launched the diesel version of the City this year, and helped the car along to a sale of 7,000 units every month. Since its launch, Ford, Nissan and Hyundai have reacted with facelifts or new variants.

Zigwheels learns that the Toyota Vios, the City's old-time competitor in South East Asia, would not be made in India as localizing it is a costly exercise and isn't feasible at this time. Instead the company is looking at a well localized existing platform - that of the Etios - to realize its challenger.

The new model (if launched) would follow the brand's latest design language that the Toyota Corolla is an advocate of. The car would be styled to attract younger customers. However there would be nothing newsworthy about the powertrain compartment as the existing 1.5-liter petrol and 1.4-liter diesel from the Etios would be strapped to it.

Competitors: Honda City, Hyundai Verna, VW Vento, Ford Fiesta, Nissan Sunny, Renault Scala

Estimated price: - INR 7-11 lakh

[Source - Zigwheels.com]