The world’s largest carmaker, Toyota, would launch its sports utility vehicle Fortuner in India on August 24.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) of India expects Fortuner to “take away 50 per cent market share” in the SUV category. The company expects to sell 2,000 units of Fortuner from the launch date to December end. The company believes that Fortuner will certainly add volume into its sales numbers. Fortuner would come with a price tag of around Rs.20 lakh.
Toyota Kirloskar is also in plans to expand the company’s dealerships across India. As the company is looking to sell its small cars in the country, TKM is all set to expand its dealership network. Toyota’s small car will be roled out in India in December 2010. The company currently has 86 dealerships across the country and is in a hurry to make it 150 dealerships.
These dealerships will help Toyota accomodate 70,000 of its small cars and 50,000 cars of its other models. The new showrooms will sport a new concept, look and feel, called Diva. About 60% of the company’s showrooms are to come up in semi-urban and rural areas. With the small cars being introduced, the company will have to go deeper into these areas.
In order to increase the production speed and also cut down on inventory, Toyota plans to get auto component manufacturers and suppliers on to their plant in Bidadi. Company officials of Toyota said there would be limited editions and variants of existing models hitting the roads.