The world’s largest car maker, Toyota, today launched its first made-for-India small car, the Etios Liva, in the intensely competitive hatchback segment.
The car, which is priced between Rs 399,000 and Rs 599,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi), will take on the likes of Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai i20, Volkswagen Polo and Ford Figo. Apart from Ford Figo, which starts at Rs 359,000, Liva is the cheapest car in the category. It has best-in-class fuel efficiency of 18.31 km per litre. The average mileage offered by other cars in this segment varies between 15 kmpl and 17.7 kmpl for the petrol variants. Liva, however, does not have a diesel fuel option.
“With the Liva we will have a full line-up in India ranging from a compact car to a high-end SUV Land Cruiser. The hatchback segment accounts for over 35 per cent of sales in the overall automobile market in India. With Etios and Liva, we will be able to extend our product coverage to over 50 per cent of the market in the country,” said Hiroshi Nakagawa, managing director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM).
| SMALL WONDERS | |
| MODEL | PRICE (Rs lakh) (ex-showroom, Delhi) |
| Toyota Liva | 3.99-5.99 |
| Maruti Suzuki Swift | 4.09-5.56 |
| Hyundai i20 | 4.59-7.86 |
| Volkswagen Polo | 4.57-7.06 |
| Ford Figo | 3.59-5.45 |
| Prices include diesel variants | |
Toyota had launched the Etios sedan on the small car platform last December. Sandeep Singh, deputy managing director (sales & marketing), said, “We expect to sell 60,000 units of sedan Etios and Liva in 2011. Of these, 20,000 units are expected to come in from sales of Liva.”
TKM has already delivered 20,000 units of Etios. The company is ramping up capacity to roll out 8,000 units of the hatchback and sedan every month from September, from the current 6,000 units.
TKM is investing Rs 300 crore to expand capacity across its two plants in Bidadi, Bangalore. Once the capacity expansion programme is completed by the mid next year, the first plant will roll out 90,000 units of Innova and Fortuner, while the second plant will manufacture 100,000 units of Etios and Liva, and another 20,000 units of Altis.
The company is also setting up an engine plant and a second transmission manufacturing facility in Karnataka. The engine plant will produce gasoline engines and the transmission units will roll out gearboxes for the Etios series.
Etios and Liva, at present, have localisation content of 70 per cent. Once the plants are commissioned by mid-2013, local content in the models will go up to 90 per cent.
Toyota is present in India through a joint-venture agreement with the Kirloskar Group (89:11). The company currently sells sedan Etios, multi-purpose vehicle Innova, premium sedan Corolla Altis and sports utility vehicle Fortuner. Besides, TKM imports high-end sedan Camry, luxury SUVs Prado and Land Cruiser and hybrid vehicle Prius for sale in India.
