India is a place where you can sell cheap and cheerful mini cars with completely insane volumes, and everyone wants to cash in. The current market leader is Suzuki but more companies have announced that they have a compact car for India in the works.
Tune in to the New Delhi auto show coverage come 5th January 2010 to find out what Toyota has in store for India. The Japanese company revealed today that they will be unveiling a new compact car “concept” designed for the Indian market in January next year, alongside 13 other concept and production cars including the facelifted Prado, facelifted Fortuner, Innova, i-REAL, Fine-S, etc.
This is not new news to us. We previously heard back in October this year that Toyota and Daihatsu are working on a new small car that can be sold for less than US$11,000 (RM37,268) in emerging economies like India and Brazil. That is certainly possible, considering in our very own market the Toyota/Daihatsu-linked Perodua Viva BX is sold for RM25,300, a good amount lower than the threshold price set by Toyota/Daihatsu.
I won’t be surprised if the concept car will have loads of Daihatsu genes in it, after all it is Daihatsu which are the small car specialists in the Toyota group, and tight Japanese roads have given them loads of practise on how to really optimise space and NVT in a tiny car.
After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history. An avid electronic gadget aficionado as well as big-time coffee lover, he's also the executive producer of the Driven motoring TV programme.
RAEP RAEP RAEP RAEP RAEP RAEP!!!
Toyota raping Indian economy. All the best.
India is poor country..so does msia in need of cheaper compact car..hmm..
It will be surely Toyota Viva Elite.
Yo Tokmoh, how do u spell RAPE? I tot it was SIAM REAP?? Anyway, this is what we call MARKETING!!!
Built by Produa, badge by Toyota @ Daihatsu, exported toIindia. Rename & sell as "Toyota Chennai"… So good to manipulate the market…. (maybe they used kancil platform with new facelift touch up & Make up. Claim do R&D for rupiee1000m)…. At the end, Toyota Japan get the profit. Again, Used centered meter console, cut cost (Claim as Tech, inovative)…..
India population size is 1billion. If 10% of the population decided to buy that small and affordable car made by Toyota, it will be huge market capitalization for them.
Toyota will be stupid should they do not enter this market and reap the fruit, besides raping it.
Fuego66 : ……
you've never heard of internet meme, do you?
@Fuego66
tokmoh typed REAP instead of the right one because it might end up in the 'spam comment' section.