Toyota India will bet on premium models to drive sales - Report

20/11/2015 - 09:13 Toyota Innova, Toyota Aravind Jayachandran

The next Toyota Innova could be the first model to spearhead the new strategy.

In an interview, Naomi Ishii, managing director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor has expressed his interest in improving the quality of their future products over quantity.

2016 Toyota Innova manual AC press images — The next Innova for India is likely to enter an upmarket MPV segment, given the premium features available.

Mr Ishii states that offering features such as dual airbags as standard in core models will help Toyota garner better sales figures. If Toyota India were to introduce a small product, it would have very advanced features in safety, fuel efficiency and exhaust emissions. While it may drive prices up, Mr Ishii believes that this is the direction TKM has to take for future products.

The first product likely to spearhead the new strategy is the upcoming 2016 Toyota Innova, which is expected to launch in India in H1 2016. An older report stated that Toyota will produce 90,000 units of the Innova per annum, which equates to an average of 7,500 units a month, or roughly 45 percent more than the current Innova.

Toyota Vios front three quarters at the 2015 Bangkok Motor Show — The Toyota Vios could be in TKM's pipeline for the future, as it was spotted testing multiple times in India.

Also in the pipeline is the next generation Toyota Fortuner, which will, reportedly, debut in 2017, and a midsize sedan. The sedan is expected to be the Toyota Vios, which was spotted testing in India multiple times. Reports say that the Vios will be launched to rival the likes of the Honda City, Maruti Ciaz and Hyundai Verna, with a fuel efficient range of 1.5-liter petrol and 1.4-liter diesel engines.

[Source: ET Auto]