Nearly four years after starting work on a compact family car for the emerging markets, Toyota Motor Corporation is all set to unveil the Etios today.
The Toyota Motor's President, Mr Akio Toyoda, will fly in to Bangalore for the launch of the compact 1.5 lt petrol version of Etios sedan which has been manufactured at its Bidadi plant run by its joint venture company, Toyota Kirloskar Motor.
Speculation on price:
Toyota Kirloskar has invested nearly Rs 3,000 crore for manufacturing the Etios. The hatchback version will be launched sometime during the middle of next year.
Though the price has been kept a closely guarded secret and will be announced at a press conference today, auto analysts say that it might be priced between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 6 lakh and will compete in the Swift and Hyundai i20 segment. It is expected to give a mileage of about 17 km a litre.
The new plant has an initial capacity of 70,000 units per year and is next to the existing plant which makes the multi-purpose Innova, Corolla, Camry and Fortuner.
The man who designed and developed Etios, Toyota Motors' Chief Engineer, Product Planning, Mr Yoshinori Noritake, told that the indigenisation level of the car is about 70 per cent, while initially the engine and the transmission will be imported. He said Etios has been developed keeping in mind Toyota's focus on quality and safety. “The car has good fuel efficiency, roomy interiors and ride comfort which is what most Indians look for in a car,” he added.
Mr Noritake visited India more than 50 times and interviewed over 100 car owners before putting together the car. He said Toyota has always been known for quality but its price was found high for car buyers in the emerging markets. Hence, it was a challenge to design a car which was affordable without compromising on quality.
The hatchback version is expected to be called as Etios Liva. The diesel version of both hatchback as well as sedan is expected to be launched by 2012.
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