The Etios family finally touched the One Lakh mark in India. Toyota managed to sell a huge number of Etios and Etios Liva in tough Indian Car Market within one and a half year (Approx) since the launch in December 2010. the Etios family was specifically designed and built for India and it seems Toyota has hit the bull’s eye!
Mr. Hiroshi Nakawaga, MD, Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM), said: “This is an important milestone. We thank the one lakh customers who have trusted the brand and also appreciated it. Despite unforeseen and unfortunate events like tsunami in Japan and the floods in Thailand, we have been able to achieve the one Lakh mark”.
Encouraged by the sales figures, TKM plans to increase their production capacity of Etios family from 1,20,000 units to 2,10,000 units annually. The company also wants to increase the level of localization from 70 per cent to 90 per cent in 2013. Once the localization is achieved, TKM will manufacture components like engine, transmission etc, this will help them to overcome the falling value of Rupee. TKM aims to make 1,00,000 engines annually, starting from the third quarter of this year and 2,40,000 transmissions annually, starting from early 2013. These manufacturing processes will be carried out at Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts.
Despite being popular in domestic car market,Toyota also exports Etios sedan and Etios Liva hatch to overseas market as well. TKM has already shipped the first consignment in the month of April, 2012. The company targets to export 20,000 units annually.
Mr. Sandeep Singh, Deputy Managing Director, Marketing, TKM, said: “The number reflects how the Etios family has grown and how Etios and Etios Liva has become a household brand in India. This is a small yet very important milestone in this large project that will place TKM on a higher pedestal in the global operations of Toyota”.
You can also read our detailed review of Toyota Etios here.
By,
Arghya Pan
Team MotorBash
News Source: Economic Times
