Rejoicing after the remarkable success of the Etios series in the Indian and South African auto markets, Toyota has now plans to send the twins to Brazil in September 2012. The company has officially announced the launch of this car and invited selected journalist from Brazilian media in Nagoya, Japan to preview the model. The production version of Etios that will put on sale in Brazil is set to be produced in Sorocaba. New version of Etios will be slightly altered from the one introduced in India.
The exteriors of the new version of Etios series will boast of all-new tail lights and a revamped hatch. Etios that is headed towards Brazil will not feature the flat steering wheel with mounted controls. Instead, the car will be incorporated with a different audio system and flexible headrests in front as well as rear whose height can be adjusted.
As far as technical specifications of yet-to-be-launched Etios series are considered, its hatchback version will be assimilated with a 1.3 litre engine whereas the sedan will hold a 1.5 litre engine. Both the engines will run on petrol and will be equipped with a 5 speed manual gearbox. Post launch, Etios will deliver stiff competition to the old fashioned Gol Voyage, March Versa, Sandero Logan and Palio Siena.
The company has planned to manufacture 70,000 units of the model in 2013. Further, the Japanese car maker will expand its production capacity to 4,00,000 units by the end of 2020. It is also anticipated that the platform of Etios will spawn new models by 2015, including a compact Sports Utility vehicle (SUV), minivan, hire car and pick-up truck..0B� <p�� @� N-GB style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-ansi-language: EN-GB'>
Talking about the resounding success of the XUV 500 in the third round of bookings, Chief Executive, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., Pravin Shah, commented, “We would like to take this opportunity to offer our heartfelt thanks to our customers for the confidence they have shown in us. This overwhelming response in today’s challenging market environment is a testimony to the popularity of the XUV 500.”
Mahindra XUV 500 has received a warm welcome from all quarters of the Indian auto industry and has garnered as many as 22 awards since its launch in September 2011. The accolades won by the high selling model include the coveted 'Car of the Year', 'SUV of the Year' and 'Viewers Choice Car of the Year' awards at the ET-Zigwheels Awards 2011. It was also the recipient of 'SUV of the Year', 'Readers Choice Award' and 'Best Value for the Money Car' at the Top Gear Magazine Awards 2011. CNBC and Overdrive magazine christened it the ‘SUV of the Year’ and ‘Viewers Choice Car of the Year’ at the CNBC TV18–Overdrive Awards 2012. The car also won the ‘SUV of the Year’ at the NDTV Car & Bike Awards 2012 and Business Standard Motoring 2012 Awards’. At Bloomberg UTV Autocar India Awards, it was crowned the ‘SUV of the Year’, ‘Best Value for Money Car of the Year’ and ‘Viewers Choice SUV of the Year'.
Top Gear Malayalam gave it the ‘SUV of the Year Award 2011-2012’, while it won the prestigious ‘SUV of the Year’ award at Car India Awards 2012. Auto Bild India gave the car Golden Steering Wheel Awards 2012 under two categories, namely ‘SUV/UV 2011 Award’ and ‘Viewer's Choice Award’. It won the latter as the viewers of TV channels like Headlines Today and Aaj Tak voted in its favour. Mahindra XUV 500 has won the ‘Car of the Year / SUV of the Year’ given by renowned bloggers like TeamBHP, Vicky.in, Motor Vikatan, Auto Junction and MotorBeam. This car has been ranked as the most reputed auto brand Bluebytes' Reputation Benchmark Study.
Not just sales, XUV 500 has done well on the field too, as it secured wins in the extreme categories of prestigious rallies like Desert Storm, Desert Dash and Dakshin Dare. With the triumph at the Dakshin Dare, it became the first-ever diesel powered SUV to score a win in the extreme category of an Indian rally, thus cementing its position in the annals of the country's motorsport history.
