Toyota has recently launched Etios Liva its first car from the company in the hatchback segment. Toyota Motor said it will roll out another two small cars and a compact SUV in the offing as it aligns itself with the global shift towards small cars.
Toyota is now planning to enter the bare basic entry level A-segment to give a further boost to its volumes, and pose a challenge to the Alto, which reigns supreme as the highest volume car in India. The goal, according to the company will be fructified with a sub-Liva car, in the range of Rs. 2.5-3.5 lakh.
The company said it may also look at partnering with other smaller corporations like sister company Daihatsu, Japan’s Subaru and French Peugeot, which have some expertise in developing small cars.
“The line up of cars that we have in India is not sufficient to cater to the growing demands of this market. We see a larger potential for cars like one smaller and cheaper than the Liva, a car bigger and more expensive than it and a compact SUV.” said Hiroji Onishi, president, Toyota Motor Asia Pacific.
“With Peugeot in Europe, we already have a partnership (B-Zero project) and a similar method could be thought of with other companies like Subaru as well. Daihatsu on the other hand is part of our consolidated group and we are in the process of studying project with them,” he added.
Toyota stated that its small car plans are not limited to India and India would be the primary market for any small car that the company develops. We’ll let you know more about the voids Toyota’s upcoming vehicle’s article, very soon, stay tuned.
Also see – 2011 Toyota Avanza in India
Image – Daihatsu Tanto Exe (This is not a actual model, just expected by the author)
