Toyota Kirloskar Motors, the Indian unit of Japanese auto giant Toyota, has announced on Thursday that the price of its upcoming hatchback, Toyota Etios Liva, will be announced after the annual Indian Budget 2011-12. Generally, the union budget goes out in Feb-March period, which means the company will announce the price of this car sometime by the end of March 2011. However, it is widely expected that the company will price the Etios hatch in the price segment of sub Rs 5 lakh.
The company intends to launch the Toyota Etios Liva in the Indian market by the first week of April 2011. It has said that the delivery of the car would be started within a month of its launch in the country.
The Etios Liva will be sporting a 1.2L petrol engine and would be available in three to five variants. Following its launch, the Etios Liva hatchback will be fighting for space with the likes of Maruti Swift, Ford Figo, Volkswagen Polo, Chevrolet Beat and Fiat Punto. The car was showcased in a concept version at the Delhi auto expo in the starting of this year.
Meanwhile, the recently launched sedan version of Etios has been receiving an overwhelming response from the Indian buyers as within two days of its launch, more than 3,000 units of this car have been booked. The Etios sedan has been rolled-out in five variants in the competitive price range of Rs. 4.96 lacs to Rs. 6.86 lacs.
The company is aiming to sell as many as 70,000 units of Toyota Etios in India, in the first year of its launch, here. Toyota India has also planned to hire about 2,000 employees in India by the second quarter of next calendar year. At present, more than 4,650 employees working under the Toyota brand in India.
