Toyota dealers running out of stock

Launch of Etios Cross, upgraded Corolla likely to see delay of at least 2 months

Considering buying a Toyota car? You may have to wait at least two months to get a model or a colour of your choice, as Toyota dealers have run out of stocks due to the labour unrest at the company’s plants in Bidadi.

At these plants, production has been severely affected, with about 4,500 employees staging a dharna. On Thursday, the number of employees on a hunger strike rose to 23.

“We are facing a shortage due to the situation. However, we are micro-managing customers’ demand by catering to their specific requirements through limited operations. We regret the inconvenience caused to customers and request them to bear with us during this period,” a Toyota Kirloskar Motor spokesperson told Business Standard.

The company didn’t specify when production would return to normalcy. It said the lockout at the plants had been lifted and it would welcome workers returning to work.

Many Toyota dealer outlets across the country have run out of stocks; some don’t even have a model to display at showrooms. The waiting period for Etios, Liva and Innova models have increased to 45-60 days, against 15 days earlier.

“We don’t have all the colours available with us to deliver to customers. For instance, the Etios Liva is available only in the basic variant (G-MD); other variants such as G SP (MC), V (MB) and V SP (MA) aren’t available. Customers have to wait for at least 45 days for production at the factory to become normal again,” said a sales executive at a leading Toyota Kirloskar Motor dealer here.

Another dealer said they were accepting bookings for all models and deliveries would be made on a first-come, first-served basis once normal production was restored. However, customers could choose to buy basic variants, with a limited choice of colours, he added.

Toyota dealers in Mumbai offered to deliver only the basic version of the Etios Liva and that, too, only in white or silver.

Meanwhile, Toyota Kirloskar has postponed the launch of its much-awaited Etios Cross, a rugged version of the Etios Liva hatchback. Earlier, it was planned the model would be launched in May this year. The company had told dealers a display model would be dispatched in the first week of April.

The launch of the face-lifted Toyota Corolla sedan, scheduled for launch in May, has also been delayed.

A Toyota official, however, said the company had, from the beginning, planned to launch the Etios Cross in May, adding there would be no change in the plan.

The Etios Cross will have some modifications, compared to the existing Liva. These include new front and rear bumpers, roof rails and diamond-cut alloy wheels. It will be available in three engine options — a 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, a 1.5-litre petrol engine and a 1.4-litre diesel engine.

“We will have to wait for more days to get the display model of Etios Cross. We have opened bookings for this model, but don’t have a physical model to show our customers. We don’t know when the display vehicles will come,” said an executive at a Toyota dealer here.

Dealers say the launch of the Etios Cross could be delayed by at least two months.