Toyota has never really experimented much in the Indian auto industry. They have more or less focused on the premium car segment above Rs 15 lakhs. And in spite of this, their sales numbers are outstanding.
No other car brand manages to sell as many cars in the above Rs 15 lakh segment in India, as sold by Toyota. This has also made them one of the most profitable car companies in India. This is thanks to their popular cars like Innova Crysta, Fortuner, Corolla Altis and Camry Hybrid.
But, they have now plans to enter in lower priced segment, and bring the average cost of their line-up down. This will be made possible due to the Suzuki – Toyota alliance, which was formed last year. Thanks to this, Toyota will be launching rebadeged Maruti Baleno and Brezza in India. The former will launch this year, while the latter will launch next year.
Apart from these two, Toyota will also launch two new cars in the C segment – one SUV and one MPV. The SUV will be 5 seater while the MPV will be a 7 seater. Both will be based on the same platform, most like based on the next gen Toyota Rush platform. This platform will also be shared with Suzuki, which will be used by Maruti to launch their flagship SUV and MPV in India.
The above image details Toyota India’s car lineup. As of now, there are about four cars which are upcoming – two are from Maruti, thanks to their deal with Suzuki, and two are based on their Rush SUV platform. The image also shows how the 4 new upcoming cars will fit into the Toyota India’s portfolio.
Speaking about engine options, the Toyota badged Baleno and Brezza will continue to be offered with the same set of engines as they are currently offered in. While the new gen Toyota SUV and MPV based on Rush, could get completely new set of petrol and diesel engine options. Hybrid option could also be on offer, knowing that Toyota is a global leader in hybrid technology.
As per the report, the new SUV and MPV will be build on a monocoque architecture, which will allow the car to be lighter. The SUV will compete with the likes of Tata Harrier, Jeep Compass, while the MPV can take on the likes of Mahindra XUV500, upcoming Tata H7X. Thanks to these new range of cars, Toyota could be hoping of seeing a surge in annual sales.
