Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) India has been aggressively promoting its 'concept' car, the Etios all over India. The Toyota Etios has been touring the length and breadth of the country creating awareness about Toyota's new small car's impending arrival. Toyota is banking on the Etios twins (hatchback and sedan) to increase its volumes in India in the coming years. The Etios would be launched in January 2011, the company has hinted.
TKM has invested Rs. 3200 crores for setting up its second plant in India, near Bidadi, Karnataka. This plant would have an annual capacity of 70,000 units and the first car, the Etios hatchback would roll out of this plant in December 2010.
Sandeep Singh, Deputy Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motors -
Etios, which is now a concept car, will be marketed from early 2011.
The Toyota Etios hatchback would take on the likes of the Nissan Micra, Volkswagen Polo, Ford Figo, Fiat Punto, the next generation 2011 Maruti Swift and the upcoming Honda's small car for India. The Etios sedan would take on the Maruti Swift Dzire, Ford Fiesta, the new Hyundai Verna Transform and the future Nissan Micra sedan. Toyota would initially be launching the Etios with petrol engines only and diesel engines might be offered in the future.
Toyota also revealed its future plans for India. Not much has been announced regarding future models but Toyota clearly said the Etios Hatchback would be driving Toyota's sales in India, as Toyota is targeting a sales figure of 1,50,000 in 2011. Toyota hopes to sell 3,00,000-3,50,000 cars by 2015.
Hiroshi Nakagawa, MD, TKM
India will grow in the range of 10% against the global growth rate of 5%. Our small car Etios will drive our sales volumes in India in the coming days. To achieve this scale of volume, we have to enter India’s rural markets in a big way. We are aggressively expanding our dealership footprint in India and quite a significant portion of this will be in country’s heartland. By end of 2010, we plan to have 150 dealers across the country.
Toyota is also considering exports of the Etios from India. TKM is also contemplating on setting up a new engine plant in India. Toyota is planning to set up a world class R & D unit in India.
