Toyota hopes to sell 4,500 Innovas

Toyota expects to deliver 12,000 Innovas in the next two months. The company has recorded 25,000 to 30,000 bookings so far.

A Toyoshima, managing director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, the joint venture between Toyota Motor Corporation and the Kirloskar group, said: "We expect an acceleration in bookings. At the peak level, the Innova is likely to have a booking of 4,500 vehicles per month compared with 3,000 per month for the Qualis".

"We have a healthy order book position. At this rate we expect Innova sales to exceed that of Qualis," KK Swamy, deputy managing director Toyota Kirloskar said.

Meanwhile, Toyota Motor Corporation is evaluating the possibility of entering the Indian market with a small car.

"We will be able to enter the market with a small car probably in 2010. We should be able to manufacture 200,000 units a year. This will mean a market share of at least 10 per cent in India," Toyoshima said.

Toyota Kirloskar launched the country's first one-hour maintenance service under the brand "Express Maintenance" at Lakozy Toyota in Mumbai.

The company intends to extend this service to three more dealerships, at Kochi, Bangalore and Ahmedabad, in 2005.

Swamy said as many as seven locations across the country will offer such a service.

To use local software talent: Toyota Motor Corporation is looking at utilising Indian software engineering talent for its global requirements.

A Toyoshima, managing director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said: "There is abundant talent in engineering in India, especially in case of software. We will think of utilising this talent on a global basis for Toyota's requirements."