Consumers are ready to pay for cars with better safety features, and the thinking isn’t just confined to fully-matured automotive markets – in India, Toyota says it has found that customers don’t mind paying more for safety kit, and the jump in sales has reflected that, Automotive News reports.
In a market where automakers have long been reticent to make airbags a standard item on cars, fearing that its inclusion would have an adverse impact on sales, sales of airbag-equipped Toyotas have thrown that outmoded thinking out of the window.
Eight months after it began offering airbags in all its models sold in the country, sales of Toyota vehicles climbed by 19% during the period, a noticeable hike in comparison with the 5% increase in industry-wide deliveries, the report indicated.
“It has been better than we expected. Even in smaller cities and towns, people are coming to realise the need for safety features,” N. Raja, Toyota India’s senior VP and director for sales and marketing was quoted as saying. He said that customers were willing to pay about 15,000 to 20,000 rupees (RM905 to RM1,200) extra for a car with airbags.
Indian buyers are becoming more safety conscious – in 2014, more than 80% of customers surveyed by J.D. Power stated they wanted ABS in their car, and 76% said airbags were a key item. No details were available on how they viewed the importance of having electronic stability control (ESC) in their cars, but you can bet it’ll be up there as the market matures.
India may only have one percent of the world’s total motor vehicle count, but the country accounts for 15% of global traffic deaths. Despite the high mortality rate, the Indian government has yet to make airbags or vehicle crash tests mandatory.
Besides Toyota, other carmakers in India aren’t waiting for a mandate on airbag fitment and are already including them as standard kit on models. Airbags are now fitted on all Nissan vehicles, and the automaker said it will begin offering a driver airbag as an option on its Datsun GO hatchback, which originally received an abysmal zero-star safety rating in Bharat NCAP crash testing.
Maruti Suzuki, meanwhile, is working on adding airbags to its cars and said it will have them in cars even before the government makes the feature mandatory.
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No shit sherlock
No 1 stupidity.
For higher end models, you don’t include good safety features, you are digging your own graves.
180k vs 195k any big difference?
We have not touch luxurious marques yet.
Do you know that in rich people house, every single seat of sofa can cost 15k to 20k and the sofa set alone is one Toyota Camry.
Jimmy,
I have read most of your comments and I think every time no one understands a shit about what you’re trying to say. Please improve your English.
In overseas, Toyota is highly respected. But in Malaysia, Toyota now has become a laughing stock. If you buy one, people secretly laugh at you thinking you are the dumbest person in town cause the Toyota is heavily stripped of its safety features. Now somemore, Picanto, comes with 6 airbags and can be safer than a Camry!
Malaysians already now know how Toyota has been cheating people. Until today, even RM150k Camry got no VSC and only 2 airbags. Paultan already wrote long article how vital VSC is 3 years ago and yet UMW don’t care a damn for our lives.
Global price of Camry with 10 airbags and VSC is US$22,000. Besides VSC and 10 airbags, the global Camry has about 20 other safety features that is NOT in our Camry. These features are standard and free on the global Camry.
UMW don’t care about your life. you die or vegetable, they don’t care, janji untung lebih. they take out safety features to save cost. Yet, they charge us 3x the global price of US$22k. We buy for RM180k a heavily stripped down car. Same with Altis. Same with Vios.
Worse still, it is CKD and Made in Malaysia. The price is even cheaper. If US Toyota is sold at US22k and still make a profit, you can bet that UMW will get this car at country distributor price of US15k. CKD it, it will be US$12k (about RM40k). But they sell to Malaysians for RM180k.
Camry Hybrid even better. US$26k. Come to Malaysia no tax. But sold for RM175k
IC, they just realize it.. So what is next move toyota?
Nobody is touching Toyota now. Salesman all crying. It is known as the Moving Coffin. Bad luck to buy their cars. Before I talk about the rubbish Vios without VSC, lets talk about their Camry first.
Let us start with the Camry. The previous Camry, everybody boycott because at first when they introduced, it was the only Camry in the world without VSC. UMW thought it is better to reap more profits than the lives of Malaysians and took out the VSC. Then news went viral online and everybody started to boycott Camry. Sales dipped like mad. then UMW damage control. They recently put VSC back into Camry cars on higher end models but people still remember what a useless company UMW is to give peanuts to Malaysians and sacrifice our lives. A 10 airbag CBU Camry 2.5 in the US is US$22,000 (RM60,000). Here, we pay RM180,000 for a Made in Malaysia car with 2 airbags and no VSC. (now got VSC on higher end models). But the RM150k Camry still got no VSC and only 2 airbags.
The Altis, nobody is touching also. This car in the US, after discounts and bargaining is US$12,000. (RM39,000) Comes with 9 airbags and so many more features our toilet CKD does not have. Now with this Mazda 3, confirm mati Altis.
UMW Malaysia will get this Altis car in CKD form direct from Toyota Japan for about USD$8000. If Toyota USA can sell the CBU in USA for US$12,000 and still make money, UMW for sure will be getting this car far cheaper.
In Malaysia, we get the jamban made in Malaysia model with 2 airbags and no VSC. A Moving coffin. When a car does not have VSC, it is known as a moving coffin. Half the parts are Made in Malaysia. But the car is sold for RM139k. That is why you hardly can see an Altis on the road despite nearly 2 years launched.
Why do we have CKD when the CKD cost more than the CBU? To support crony part manufacturers? Rm39,000 vs RM139,000.
Anyway, Malaysians know that the Toyota Corolla is a big failure in Malaysia. Do you see it on the road at all? Drive the whole day and you hardly can bump into the 2014 Altis or a Vios despite being launched 1 year plus already (Vios). Everywhere you see Elantra or City.
Somemore Honda give 5 years vs Toyota’s 3 years warranty.
Malaysians rather buy Hyundai Elantra. The car after discounts can get RM85k and comes with VSC. Also, the car is a much bigger C segment than the Altis. No wonder why we see Elantra everywhere.
Malaysians already know that UMW regard Malaysian lives as dirt and don’t care whether you die or not. This Toyota Vios should be named as Toyota Moving Coffin because a car of this price, with no VSC is a risk to you and your family.
Malaysians have now dignity. they know UMW are big cheats. Charge so much for the car, yet compromise on our lives and safety of the family.
How UMW? Still no VSC? All over the world, Toyota comes with VSC as standard!
Our lives not important UMW?
The Vios is a Big big failure. No need to write a lot here. The City with VSC beats it flat. Tak payah cerita panjang. Even the apek jual ikan also know City is more highly specced than the Vios. So Vios is dead.
Sam loo(ori1) and Same Lorr also now hiding like chickens. They will come in here and say Toyota got good RV but in truth, nobody is going to buy UMW’s trash in Malaysia. Even now, their RV jatuh like hell. 11 months old Camry 2.5, you can buy RM120k, drop from RM180k. In 11 months, the car can drop RM60k. Now people say can even get the Camry 2.5 2014 model for even RM98k. Wah! drop RM80k in 11 months.
You must be blind. Everyday I see Vios and Altis on the road, definitely more than Mazda 3 and Honda Civic. Simply write with toilet data.
Good job my friend, hope rakyat awake n not be cheated by UMW n B…end.
They will release their new Camry in Malaysia with a standard 2 Airbag.
That (UMW Toyota) kind of idea is, safety has become an expensive add-on optional package.
Now all Toyota cars start with 2 airbags. Optional safety for the rest.
Need cars news bloggers to have effective title like “Disappointing New Vios” or “Disappointing New Vios un-Facelift”, “Brand New Unsafe Camry Debut”.
Yah right! Talk to UMW first la!
Yah, the board of directors in UMW made up of cronies would rather see buyers die than make less profit! Until now with safety equipment cheaper to install in their local assembled cars, they take it out and give you leather seats and LED drls instead!
OMG…now u only know ahhh….too late, Honda Sales already better than u…kiss goodbye Toyotata…lol.
Just by reading the title alone, it’s bad news… It means they can rip off the safety features and make you pay thru the nose for them.
Toyota just learned something from UMW now…?
Toyota, you dont say.jpeg ?
banyak la kau punya temberang toyota oi..
Ding ding ding we have a winner, thanks for stating the obvious.
It’s just Toyota’s antiquated local arms that think only the Euro market are willing to pay for safety. And obviously UMW will fall in that list as well, after all they rather sell body kits than stability control and adaptive cruise control with automatic braking.
In Malaysia it’s the opposite – people don’t give a hoot about extra safety but would rather pay for extra skirting etc2
nah… thats only Toyota buyers.
Honda’s top selling HRV is the top spec V with full airbags and ESC.
People will pay extra for safety gear… but here we make it a habit of bundling a bunch of useless things to upmarket the trim level making safety items expensive. Normally now, you end up paying 15-40k from a base model to a top spec model just to get full airbags.
If you had bought a base kosong car and added say 5K for ESC, side and curtain airbags, I would bet my left testes that almost everyone will opt in for the safety gear. Afterall, what is 5k over 60mths HP loan. You buy insurance right?
Malaysians dunno safety features, Malaysians only know tin kosong tahan lama.
Echoed, in fact Malaysian are ‘kamikaze’ type one and dare to die, driving also no need to put on seatbelt, worse with children standing around inside moving cars.
Then UMW u should know better lah, whether your spec G camry with VSC sell better then the based model or not… come out with some stats and tell us whether Malaysian thinks the same.
If not, we will conclude that accord sells better then camry is all because of VSC…
duhhhh…
DUHH!!! *biggest facepalm ever..
For ignorant Malaysians, no need, they will still buy your product one. Sorry, no Toyota for me till you put in 6 airbags and Traction control, i already move on to continental car, my own life worth more than you badge.
1. Toyota is not the same as UMW. Toyota worldwide has decent safety standards. UMW, at least based on past history, not so much.
2. Malaysians are not the same as Indians from India. Some Malaysians will pay for safety features (seatbelts) and not use them.
look back in history, toyota was among the first japanese makes in malaysia to fit twin airbags as standard in 1998 Camry (SXV20) and Corolla (facelifted AE111). of course, first one was not Honda or Nissan but Ford with the Laser Lynx (TX3) in 1995/96.
Toyota was the first to fit its cars with ABS beginning with Camry SXV10 in 1995 (facelift model) and Corolla AE111 in 1995 as well (code AE111R-AEPEKA).
i agree though when the competition has caught up and gave more UMW went backwards and stingy when it comes to safety equipment.
These guys must still be living in a cave
Next UMW toyota will gip u free pillows but up price RM3000 cuz their Nippon engineers din think to spec in more airbags.
UMW ka-ching kaw-kaw! Win-win for everybody!
At last they’re coming out from the cave
yeahh in malaysia ppl nowhere near to mind all these things…all price onli the most important one..axia tin milo also can as it’s 32k..really surprised ppl go for viva last time as it’s 0 rating on safety basis..as long as it’s cheap and most important, IT’S NOT PROTON…how funny this world
Yup! As long as not a potong than its alright although without safety. Thats the mentality most of malaysian u just cant simply blame UMW becoz before they want to sell they already study this.
Only foolish toyota still thinks ESC (electronic skid control) or TSC (traction stability control) is not compulsory in every car. Heck, they don’t even have this in some of their top of the spec cars!
ESC is electronic stability control
UMW is the greatest insult to Toyota worldwide..
take it easy guys.. removing UMW before it tarnishes Toyota’s name even more..
last Toyota car for me now.. no more after this..
Mau ‘suck’ ppl ‘blood’ lagi kar? Toyota Malaysia car safety features “missing’ during productions but still selling high price!?!
Surprise! Toyota finds that Malaysians wants safety features to be standard across all range and not paying more for it.
Toyota selling crappy cars all these while…..at the same time, selling them overpriced.
All Malaysians know that.
Toyota only cared about their OWN profit, not about customers.
So, all these Toyota-customer-findings talks are pure bullshit.
This doesn’t apply to malaysia..
Just look at how well myvi sell compare to iriz… safety important?? Nah..
DVD and navigation plus spoiler and big rims sell better..
Don’t mind to pay more for safety? I think that is not really accurate. The problem really is Toyota think they can sell a Tin Kosong at any price. What the market is saying, your competitors are selling at more competitive price with better features inclusive safety than you, Toyota. You are still throwing rubbish cars like Innova and Rush to us. Sigh.
Don’t buy Toyota. Head for KIA or HYundai showrooms instead.
Need all you sorhai tai lan ngongs to keep the used kimchi market primed
So stupid of Toyota only to realize this now. Even more stupid are people who, knowing this fact, still buy Toyotas.