The Toyota Innova Crysta is OUTSELLING the much cheaper Maruti Ertiga: Here’s why

The Toyota Innova Crysta starts from Rs. 13.92 lakh while the Maruti Ertiga starts from just Rs. 6.34 lakhs. Yet, the Innova Crysta has outsold the Ertiga in 2017. Here are some numbers. Toyota dispatched 72,349 units of the Innova Crysta in 2017 while Maruti managed 68,354 units. What gives? We explain!

Space, and comfort!

The Innova is a much larger car, with 7 comfortable seats, with 5 very comfortable seats. The Ertiga’s third row is quite cramped due to the overall limitation of the car’s size. The new Innova is a lot more luxurious as well. For those who seek a family mover with comfort as priority, the Innova Crysta ticks all the right boxes. And Indians are known to travel with their large families in tow.

The Innova Crysta is spanking new…

…in comparison with the Ertiga, which is a generation old now, given the fact that it was first launched in 2012. The Innova Crysta, which was launched in India during 2016, is a much freshed vehicle. It’s larger, offers a lot of comfort, is much more luxurious than before, and also has powerful petrol and turbo diesel engine options. With an eye on urban buyers, Toyota even offers a high-end diesel automatic variants. In other words – it’s a package that has something for everyone, and the market seems to be obliging.

The cab operator factor!

Like the older Innova, much of the demand for the new model also comes from cab operators. This is because the Innova is a brand even among people who opt to travel in cabs. In fact, people in India are known to shift cab operators if the Innova isn’t available, and some other option is provided instead. Such is the Innova’s brand recall among cab users. On the other hand, the Ertiga has a much smaller presence in the cab-segment, and this is something that reflects in the lower volumes.