New Toyota Etios Production to Start From December 2010

The world renowned Japanese automaker Toyota has announced that production of their Toyota Etios sedan in India would commence towards the year end. Toyota Etios is slated to be their budget sedan offering, in the Indian market.

Hiroshi Nakagawa, Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) said "Etios means spirit and principle. This car of ours is targeted at the middle level managers and young professionals and will be priced competitively." He added "The manufacturing capacity is spread over 425 acre and based on the customer response after the Etios rolls out, the manufacturing capacity of the plant could be increased to nearly 200,000 units per year."

                                            New  Upcoming Toyota Etios picture

Toyota Kirloskar Motor would launch both hatchback and sedan under the Toyota Etios series with 1.2 liters and 1.5 liters petrol engines respectively and the price would be decided before the official launch. Despite that, it is estimated that the price of the hatch back would be in the range of Maruti Swift and Ritz while the sedan version of Toyota Etios would compete with Tata Manza and Maruti Dezire.

Toyota is present in India through a joint venture with Kirloskar Group. It has invested over Rs 3,200 crore to set up its second manufacturing facility in Bangalore with an initial capacity of 70,000 units per year. It aims to gain bigger presence in the Indian market with the Toyota Etios initiative.