Experts from the auto industry have always believed that firms with the best marketing and branding strategies possess the advantage over competitors, even if they produce better vehicles. If we look at the biggest brands in the Indian car market, like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata Motors and Toyota, all have a clear strategy in place, wherein they promote products in the right way and the right time. There is no bigger stage for car makers in India to showcase their products than the Auto Expo, considered to be the second largest automobile event in the world after the Frankfurt Motor Show. The last edition of this car and bike extravaganza took place at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi in the year 2012. One of the brands that surely made a name for itself at the mega event was Toyota, which unveiled a number of new cars.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor, the Indian subsidiary of the Japanese firm, was one of the most active participants at the 11th edition of the Auto Expo. It put on display a number of new versions of some existing models, which included the likes of new Liva, Etios, Fortuner, Prius, Camry and Land Cruiser. However, the limelight at this show was stolen by the facelifted models of the Fortuner Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and Innova Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV).
The facelifted version of the Innova, launched at 2012 Auto Expo, received a lot of praise for its refreshing appearance and design, which included new wraparound headlights along with a lower grill that gave the car a sporty look. Toyota had received a good response for the interiors of the previous version of the Innova, something that it further improved in the facelifted variant. Interiors of the new Innova included a touch screen, integrated audio controls in the steering and DVD display. The Japanese car maker had introduced this new variant between an ex showroom price range of Rs. 9.4 lakh to Rs. 13.19 lakh.
Apart from the Innova, Toyota also launched the facelifted version of the Fortuner SUV, whose previous version had received plaudits for its aggressive appearance, solidarity and powerful performance. One of the new things about this version was the addition of the front-wheel drive automatic transmission system along with the front-wheel and all-wheel manual systems. The facelifted version of the Fortuner symbolized the Toyota look more than the previous version of the SUV. Appearance of this version featured a redefined front, which made it look sportier. The interiors were given a fresh look through the inclusion of newly designed centre console that comprised a touch DVD stereo compatible with Bluetooth hands free. Toyota worked a lot on changing the styling of the interiors as it redesigned the instrument cluster and a steering wheel with mounting stereo controls. The front wheel drive version of the facelifted Fortuner (manual) was priced at Rs. 19.99 lakh whereas the automatic transmission variant cost around Rs. 20.99 lakh.
Hiroshi Nakagawa, the Managing Director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, was present at the launch and spoke about the importance of these two models. “The Innova and Fortuner are very important vehicles in our Toyota line up and have played a very important role in the growth of sales and expansion of operations of Toyota in India. The Innova is based on Toyota’s IMV platform – international innovative Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) – which is also used for the Fortuner. Toyota initiated the IMV project to achieve a global manufacturing and supply system for utility vehicles. Vehicles on this platform are manufactured by various plants of Toyota located in different countries and sold across the globe, resulting in economies of scale. With the new Innova and new Fortuner we will serve our customers better and enhance the ownership experience manifold, ” he said.
Another launch that took place at the 2012 Auto Expo was that of the new version Toyota Prius, which was introduced at a price of Rs. 27.39 lakh. According to sources, the Japanese car maker wanted to change the response towards the model by introducing a new version. According to reports, the new Prius was brought to India as a Completely Built Unit (CBU), which automatically meant that all features were same as the version launched in the global market. The highlight of the new version of the Prius was the solar car cooling system that features solar panels fitted in the roof. Industry experts praised the kind of technology that Toyota had brought in its vehicles.
