New Delhi : Toyota Kirloskar Motor held a press meet in Kolkata today to announce the company’s entry into the highly competitive B Segment with the launch of the Etios Sedan, the car that has been developed specifically for Indian customers – ‘World First, India First, My First’. Toyota had also announced the name of the hatchback version, the Etios Liva.

The Etios sedan will be available in four variants, J, G, V and VX, competitively priced between Rs. 5,03,198/- and Rs. 6,94,985/- ex showroom Kolkata. The product highlights include innovative styling, best-in-class cabin and luggage space, superior comfort, impressive fuel efficiency and the legendary Toyota QDR.

Mr. Koji Nagata (Executive Managing Coordinator & Director, TKM), Mr. Yugo Miyamoto (Senior Managing Coordinator) and Mr. Ramesh R K (General Manager-Marketing, TKM) addressed the media.

Mr. Yugo Miyamoto, Senior Managing Coordinator, Sales, TKM spoke about the development of the product, he said: “It was very important to understand the needs of Indian car buyers and this was done by extensive research. We found that our target customers are highly price conscious but at the same time want good mileage, space and style. One of the strong points of the Etios is its True Sedan design. The Etios has been designed as a Sedan platform and not as a Hatch with a boot. It is smartly packaged with all the attributes for Indians who love to travel with their families – boasts best-in-class cabin and luggage space, ergonomic interiors and superior ride comfort.”

Talking about the Etios Sales and Marketing strategy in India, Mr. Koji Nagata, Executive Managing Coordinator & Director, Marketing, TKM, said: “We have an elaborate Marketing strategy planned for the Etios and it all started with the roping in Mr. A.R.Rahman as our brand ambassador who we believe was a perfect fit with the brand values of our product. We are also prepared to provide our customers a one class above experience, what we refer to as the Q Class Experience. In view of this effort, we have undertaken various initiatives: (a) Express Maintenance Service – Services and delivers the vehicle to the customer in 60 mins, (b) eCRB (Evolutionary Customer Relationship Building) – A tool that keeps the customer informed about the status of the vehicle that has been given for servicing.”

Mr. Ramesh R K, General Manager – Marketing, TKM added by saying, “We are now gearing up to cater to a whole new segment of customers. We have expanded our dealer network to reach out to the tier II and tier III cities, we will complete 150 dealerships by the end of 2010 “.

The Etios is very important for Toyota and the company believes this launch marks the beginning of a new era for Toyota in India. In fact this launch will enable Indian customers in the middle income group to own an aspirational Toyota vehicle for the first time. The production of the Etios will begin as planned in the new plant which is the most environmentally friendly automobile manufacturing plant in the country today.

Earlier this year Toyota had announced its plans to begin production of engines and transmissions at the Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts in the third quarter of 2012 that will help in increasing the localisation content of the Etios.

Vehicle Outline

Exterior: A distinctive front grille with a smile line, sculpted surface and dynamic character-line in the front and rear, enhance the presence of the Etios. The rear has a fluent flowing C pillar, rounded end and three-dimensional combination lamps that enrich the vehicle’s exterior from different angles.

Interior: The seats are ergonomically designed units with integrated head rests. An instrument panel clearly divided into the information area and operation area with a large centre meter provides excellent visibility. The Etios has class best cabin and luggage space of 595L, a spacious 13L cooled glove box, seven one litre bottle holders, mobile holder and many more such useful storage spaces inside the car.

Performance and Comfort

A newly developed 1.5L, 16V DOHC engine coupled with a 5-Speed manual transmission that produces high output for best-in-class driving performance. The torque is available at low rpm for less gear shifting and stress-free city driving.

The Etios has a superior mileage of 17.6kmpl which is ARAI tested. Electric power steering for excellent maneuverability and tilt steering ensures a good ergonomic driving experience. The steering comes with audio controls for comfort at the driver’s fingertips. The flat type rear floor design offers ease of movement for rear seat passengers. With its rigid body structure and world class Mac Pherson Strut, the Etios has superior dampening performance providing superior ride comfort. A class-first ‘clean air filter’ which is standard across all grades for purified air in the cabin.

Safety

The Etios has various active and passive safety features ensuring the car matches global safety standards. The various safety features are (i) Energy absorbing body shell (ii) Driver & Passenger Air bags and (iii) ABS with EBD.

Its centrally located combimeter reduces eye movement and hence the driver can concentrate on the road.

Special Treatment

To adopt to the various diverse climate and usage conditions in India, special treatment and countermeasures have been implemented:

• Good ground clearance of 170mm
• Under body protection to prevent damage to fuel and brake lines
• Anti-corrosion steel sheets at areas prone to rusting and stone hits
• Chipping resistant paint on rocker mould & fender