Toyota Kirloskar Motors, the Indian subsidiary of the leading Japanese auto maker Toyota, is all set to launch a diesel version of its popular entry level sedan Etios in the country by September this year.
The Etios diesel will be powered by the same 1.4L diesel engine that has been doing duty in premium sedan Toyota Corolla Altis. However, the engine will be tuned for delivering lesser power as compared to the power output received in the Corolla Altis model. Moreover, it will be a fixed geometry turbo as against variable geometry turbo used in Corolla Altis.
Though the company is yet to reveal the pricing details of the car in the Indian market, the new Etios Diesel is expected to be priced in the segment of sub Rs 8 lakh, a bit higher as compared to its petrol counterpart.
In the month of July 2011, the total sales of Etios and Etios Liva models stood at 4095 units and 2551 units, respectively. The launch of a diesel version will certainly boost the sales figures of Etios series along with enabling it to compete more promptly with the rivals like Maruti SX4, Honda City, Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Vento.
In a recent statement, Mr. Sandeep Singh, Deputy Managing Director, Marketing, TKM, said "The month of July has seen an impressive growth indicative of growing volumes and increasing sales of Toyota vehicles in India. The customer response to Etios and Etios Liva has been very good. He added that the company thanks its customers for their trust in Toyota.
