At the 2012 New Delhi Auto Expo, Toyota India announced its one make racing series – Etios Motor Racing exclusively for India. The idea is similar to VW Polo Cup wherein all participants get the same cars in terms of performance and they have to prove their mettle on track.
The cars that will burn rubber are Etios and Liva specially developed by TRD (Toyota Racing Development), an in-house tuning shop for all Toyota, Lexus, and Scion cars. Here we have two videos demonstrating of what to expect from TRD Etios.
The Etios/Liva project was very important from Toyota’s perspective as this was the first time Toyota was engineering a car specifically for India. Many Toyota engineers toured the length and breadth of India to find out what does the average Indian car buyer look for. The result was an extremely practically car with features that make absolute sense. In fact, a little bit too much sense.
In a bid to keep the cost low, Toyota compromised on the aesthetics of interiors. The grey tone interiors became the weakest link of the entire package. Took a long time for Toyota to figure out the Achilles heel but they have finally set the records straight.
Toyota India presented a Liva with revamped interiors at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo. Here we have images from the Expo. The new one is on the left and the old one is on the right for comparo.
Toyota may have reinvented the Camry when it moved up a generation last year but work is far from over in the US, the Camry’s biggest market where the nameplate has topped charts for years on end. If Hyundai’s new Sonata was not eating enough into its market share, Ford unveiled the Taurus/Mondeo replacement in Detroit this week that has made headline news.
Toyota is watching Nissan ready the Altima successor that appears like a Sunny XL for the budget-minded customer and Honda preview the next generation Accord using a concept car at the warning-filled Detroit show. Kia ramping up production due to a large demand for the Optima serves as a stark reminder to Toyota that times are changing fast.
The following comment issued by Jim Lentz from the sales arm of the American operations sums up the situation in Toyota’s camp -
We haven’t seen anything like this since back in the ‘90s, when Ford made a push with the Taurus.
TKM showed the global version of the Camry at the Delhi Auto Expo, expected in the market by June-July 2012.
Following the foot step of VW India, Toyota Kirlosker Motors also plans to have its single-make racing series in India. The company showcased Etios and Liva race cars which were developed by TRD (Toyota Racing Development), an in-house tuning shop for all Toyota, Lexus, and Scion cars. So what is so special about this particular racing cars?
16 valve DOHC, 4 Cylinder Petrol engine
A full racing inspired body kit
17 inch alloys
Sport suspension
Lots of racing stuff such as sporty steering, muffler, racing seats with harness etc
TKM has launched the Toyota Innova and Fortuner facelifts at the Auto Expo and beefed up the latter’s model range. The Fortuner now comes with 2WD in AT and MT options. Among the exhibits were the facelifted LC200 and the global Camry. These vehicles are yet to be launched in India.
The new Innova is priced between Rs. 9, 40,200 rupees to Rs.13, 19,000 rupees ex-showroom Delhi
The Fortuner facelift is priced at (in rupees, ex-showroom Delhi)
The Japanese auto major may not have had the best of the year, but that isn’t deteriorating their spirit. The company plans to launch refreshed models of their existing portfolio to rejuvenate their sales figures.
Fresh of the oven will be the facelifted Fortuner and Innova. Major design changes have be done to the front and the rear fascia to make them look fresh and updated. Although nothing has changed mechanically, the Innova and Fortuner will get a touch screen media center and the Fortuner will also get with an Auto box.
If you want to make an average Indian two-lane road look quite insufficient, you need to get yourself a Land Cruiser. This thing MASSIVE to drive and to be in. Driving a Land Cruiser almost feels like your invading the by-streets in an army tank. Anyways, Toyota has given a small facelift to the 2012 Land Cruiser and here are the updates:
IndianAutosBlog readers have seen this one coming as we uploaded brochure scans very recently.
Exteriors changes on 2012 Toyota Land Cruiser:
A boxier front bumper with new fog lamps
Redesigned headlamps with integrated LED strips (LEDs are the norms these days)
A revamped front grille with chrome slats.
OVRMs with turn signals
Redesigned tail lamps
New alloy wheel design in 18 and 20 inch size options
Having touched upon the exteriors and the interiors, we finally place the spotlight on the driving performance of the Corolla Altis petrol AT. On the face of it, the changes to the design and interiors are not groundbreaking. But let me tell you that the mechanicals are not in the same basket.
What powers the new Toyota Corolla Altis?
The biggest change in the new Corolla Altis is the new engine. The older ZZ engine is out and in comes the 1.8L 2ZR engine with VVT-i delivering the firepower. Power has been pushed up by 7 bhp to 138 bhp @ 6,400 rpm and the engine delivers a healthy torque of 173 Nm at 4,000 rpm.
The additional power and torque has not massively altered the Corolla’s performance in a straight line. However the engine feels more responsive and the power delivery is very smooth and linear. Adequate amount of torque at lower rpm makes it very easy to drive in city traffic. The car is quick off the blocks with the 0-100km/hr sprint taking under 10 seconds.
