Toyota unveils ‘green’ sports car

Green seems to be the mantra of all the car makers these days. Making its way through the green world now is Toyota, the Numero Uno car maker of the world.

Toyota unveiled a new lightweight, sporty concept car named FT-86 inspired by an iconic coupe from the 1980s. Toyota claims that this car is its vision for the future Trabant e-car.

The rear-wheel drive FT-86, with a low centre of gravity and a special two-litre boxer engine developed by partner Subaru, is said to handle like a race car but with less damage to the environment. This cherry-red concept car will go on display at the Tokyo Motor Show and aims to rekindle passion for its Corolla AE86 of the 1980s.

The four-seater FT-EV II runs on lithium-ion batteries and has a top speed of more than 100 kilometres an hour.

The electric concept car, less than three metres (9.9 feet) long and has solar panels on its roof and is designed to be easily recharged at shopping malls or at home.

Toyota will also display a new version of its electric concept car — based on its compact Toyota iQ — at the Tokyo Motor Show, which opens to the public from October 24 through November 4.

Toyota, the pioneer of petrol-electric hybrid cars, has said it aims to launch an electric car in the United States by 2012.

Toyota and Honda wants Indian Government to Redefine Small Cars

Toyota and Honda Motors, two Japanese carmakers, have requested the Indian government to transform the standards of classifying small car. And this is because of that the small cars have low tax compared to other car segments. Both the car manufacturers have said that emission norms, passenger safety, and fuel efficiency should be used to classify a car into a small or large car.

Toyota and Honda are both very renowned carmakers of the country and their opinions are expected be viewed seriously by the Indian government. Currently, under the government policy, a car with the length of 4-metre length and has a 1,200 cc petrol or 1,500 cc diesel engine has a lower 8% excise duty compared to 20% duty and there will be an additional Rs 15,000 levied in case of any other cars manufactured in India.

It is also interesting to note that both the companies, Toyota and Honda, are launching small cars in the near future

Toyota Expanding Dealerships in the Country

Toyota Fortuner was launched in the Indian car market on August 24^th and it received a very warm welcome from the Indian car lovers. The booking of the car extended the actual number of units that is been allotted for the country. And it seems that this acceptance by the Indian customers has rooted a new thought in the company’s mind.

The company is planning to expand its business in the country which they think is essential to compete with the growing demands in the Indian car industry. And as a part of its expanding plans the company is looking to expand its dealership network in the country. And Toyota is planning to open more outlets, around 150 outlets by 2010.

The company is expecting to increase its business base in India in the next few years. The company is also planning to launch a new small car by 2011. And all of this will be helped with the emerging dealerships of the company.

Toyota Launched Fortuner

Toyota has just launched Fortuner in India. After a long wait the SUV was launched in India on August 24^th. Initially the company had announced that it would launch the Fortuner in September, but the company then thought of not making its customers wait further and launched it a month earlier.

Toyota has high hopes on its SUV, Fortuner; it is targeting to attain a market share of 50 per cent in the SUV segment in the Indian market and to sell at least 2,000 units by the end of 2010.

The Fortuner is a fulltime four-wheeler drive that has a 3-litre Advanced Common-Rail Diesel engine. The SUV is available in the diesel variant and the petrol version of the model will not be available initially. The company, with this luxury model, targets mainly at the urban customers more than the rural ones.

This sports utility vehicle will be a good competition for Ford Endeavour and Chevrolet Captiva in India and is expected to do good business for the company in India. TKM will bring the Fortuner to India as a knocked down unit, which will be assembled at its plant in Bidadi. The car is priced at Rs 18.45 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi).

New Compact Car from Toyota by 2010

The new facelifted Camry was launched by Toyota Kirloskar Motors Ltd (TKM) on July 31^st and that is not all, the company has now plans to end the long wait of the customers by launching Fortuner, a sporty SUV. Initially the SUV was expected to be launched in September of this year but it has been now announced that the company will launch Fortuner on August 24^th. This new car is expected to bring Toyota a premier place in the SUV segment of the country.

The customer will have to wait at least one and a half years before they can expect a new model from Toyota as the company will not be launching any new models until it launches its new compact car that will come out only by the end of 2010.

Toyota has codenamed its new compact car 800L. The company has ivested over Rs 3,200 crore for this new project.

The car will have sedan and hatchback versions and will have a price tag that is close to Maruti Swift and Skoda Fabia.

Toyota to Launch Fortuner in India

The much awaited Toyota fortune will adorn the Indian roads in September this year. Toyota always wanted to launch Fortuner in the Indian market. Fortuner was to follow Innova and it has been in the to-do list of the company since 2005, but Toyoto waited still long and has found this the most suitable occasion to bring out its new model. Toyota will be launching an upgraded version in India.

Powered by a 3-litre diesel engine this giant SUV is based on the platform of Innovative International Multi-purpose Vehicle (IMV). This automobile giant is powered by a 3-litre diesel engine and had very spacious and comfortable interiors which will satisfy any travelling needs of the passengers.

Though the price of this new member from the Toyota family is still unknown, there are speculations that it would be priced around 20 Lakh. The SUV car market in India is very strong and stable, with prominent models such as CR-V and Pajero, and Fortune will have to face a sturdy competition from them.

Toyota is expecting to bring new life into its sales, which is expected to be flat, in 2009 with the launch of Fortuner.

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado Diesel now in India

Toyota Land Cruiser petrol will be joined by Toyota Land Cruiser diesel, the moment car lovers in India has been waiting for. Toyota will launch Toyota Land Cruiser diesel in India on June 9th.  This launch, to some extent, shows the unshakable position of Toyoto, and at this point, it is very necessary for the company to show their strong base, together with many others who are doing the same.

The Powered Toyota Land Cruiser diesel will be available with a 4.5-litre V8 powered engine. Toyota Land Cruiser’s excellent off-road is due to its “ladder on chassis” .Toyota Land Cruiser is extremely spacious and seats seven. It has very cozy and luxurious interiors that are enough to make a traveler comfortable and happy. It is equipped with six-speed automatic gearbox and provides a full-time four wheel drive. For sport, normal, and comfort driving, Prado is proving different seating options.  Like many other SUVs, Toyota Land Cruiser Crawl Control options that helps in travelling through any kind of roads. Prado also offers food fuel efficiency.

The year 2009 appears to be very robust for the Indian automobile market. And Toyota Land Cruiser should be ready to compete with Audi Q5, Audi Q7, and Mercedes M-class in order to create a stable position. Toyota Land Cruiser will be price not more than Rs 50 Lakh and will be imported to India from Japan.

Small car from Toyota

On of the leading car makers Toyota is on the plans of rolling out cheap small car that will be cost-competitive in emerging markets and the big news is that India is being considered as a destination for production. The reason for India being considered is low-cost labor. There is no idea about the exact date of its production in India.

This adds up another rival to the Tata’s Nano, the one lakh car that will be launched this October. Looks like, the list of rolling out ultra cheap cars is increasing.