Toyota Etios to hit Indian roads by early 2011

Toyota Etios, the long awaited compact-car in India, will be launchedin the country by the first quarter of next year, a top official of the company said.

Etios, which is now a concept car will be marketed from early 2011, said Mr Sandeep Singh, Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) Deputy Managing Director. Mr Singh was speaking on the occasion of the launch of Toyota Etios Concept in the city of Kolkata. He added that the launch of Etios would mark Toyota's entry in the mass segment of the Indian market and be placed in the upper bracket of the segment.

The Etios model has particularly been developed for the emerging markets like India where there is a vast growth potential in the compact-car segment. Toyota Etios, which stormed the Delhi International Auto Expo in January 2010 with its breath-taking looks and unique design, will be launched in a hatchback version (with 1.2L
engine) first, and a sedan version (with 1.5L engine) after a few months. The Company is recruiting around 2000 employees at its second plant in Bangalore where it plans to invest about Rs 3,200 crore. TKM is targeting to sell 70,000 units of Etios in the initial year of its launch in India.

The company is all set to enter the volume driven segment with the Etios concept – ‘World First, India First’. The company will expand its dealership and service network so that maximum accessibility to the customers can be assured. The company is planning to take the number of its dealerships to 150 in India by the end of this year.

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