Toyota to launch Etios in early 2011; Planning to set up R&D centre and engine plant in India

Those waiting for the Etios have to wait a bit longer as Toyota has pushed the launch of its Etios compact cars to early 2011, a senior company official has said. “Our compact car Etios, which has been specially designed and developed for the Indian market, will be launched in the first quarter of 2011, as our second plant is scheduled to go on stream by this year-end,” Toyota Kirloskar Motor Ltd (TKML) Managing Director Hiroshi Nakagawa told reporters in Bangalore. Toyota Kirloskar’s second plant is coming up at Bidadi, near Bangalore at an investment of Rs 1,400 crore and can produce as many as 100,000 cars per annum. Check out the spy pictures of the Etios here.

“The engine for Etios, however, will be imported from our global manufacturing plant in Japan, as the volumes are small to produce them in India,” Nakagawa said. Coming as a big relief to Indian customers, the Etios will be available in both petrol and diesel versions. 1.2L and 1.5L petrols will do duty in the hatchback and sedan respectively while a 1.4L diesel from the Yaris is also expected.  This brilliant engine has set a record fuel efficiency of above 23km/l in the soon to be launched Corolla Altis diesel.

Further, Toyota is planning to set up a R&D centre in India one the lines of Renault-Nissan and Hyundai. Toyota currently has its R&D  concentrated in Japan apart from small centres in other places. Nagakawa told that various options are being considered and that the proposal is at the discussion stage and it is his “wish and hope” that it would be established in future. He also added that  “If we have a chance, we should establish engine facility here in India also”.

However, he did add that an engine plant would be set up only if the capacity reached 200,000 units per annum. Nakagawa said TKM is hiring 2,000 employees for its second plant, coming up at a cost of Rs 3,200 crore near Bangalore. T