Toyota Etios to go on trial production from next month

The Indian unit of Japanese auto giant Toyota Motors has stated that it is going to start a trial production of its much awaited compact hatchback Toyota Etios in the Indian market from September 2010. It is to be mentioned here that the Toyota Etios model is scheduled to be launched in the Indian market by this year end. It will be initially launched in a hatchback version and a sedan version will follow after a few months. The company has planned an investment of as much as Rs 3,200 crore for the establishment of its second small car unit in the Indian market in Bangalore.

As per a statement given by Mr Shekar Viswanathan, Deputy Managing Director (Commercial) at Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) to a leading news agency in the country - before starting the commercial production in December, the company will have two rounds of trial productions. He added that, while one will start in September, the next one will be in October. However, the company is yet to disclose the number of units it is planning to produce during this two months trial production. Mr Viswanathan added that the cars which will be produced during this trial will not be used for sales and the company will run it on test tracks for quality and all other checks. Where the hatchback version of the car will be powered by a 1.2 L engine, the sedan version will have a 1.5L engine.

It's been almost four years since the company started developing its India bound car Toyota Etios. A concept of this car was also showcased at the International Auto Expo in the month of January where it received an overwhelming response from the car enthusiasts and visitors. The company currently sells some of the most popular cars in the Indian market including crossover Toyota Innova, premium sedan Toyota Corolla Altis and luxury SUV Toyota Fortuner.

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