Toyota Etios LIVA – the Etios hatchback!

Autocar India magazine reports that Toyota has christened the ETIOS hatchback as ETIOS Liva.

Toyota will announce this during the launch of ETIOS sedan on December 1st in Bangalore. So far, it was reported that Toyota will launch the sedan version first. But now, sources say that Toyota will launch ETIOS sedan and hatchback version on the same day (Dec 1st, 2010).  Just like Maruti coined the name Dzire for the Swift based sedan, Toyota has coined the name Liva as a sub-brand for ETIOS hatchback to differentiate between the sedan and the hatch. It has to be noted that Toyota ETIOS sedan and ETIOS Liva is squarely aimed to capture the market share of Swift Dzire and Swift.  Read our first story on the Etios sedan and hatchback

Toyota will launch ETIOS Liva with a 1.2 litre petrol engine that produces 80 bhp of maximum power. The ultra light weight of 890 kg of the car will make it a quick and fuel efficient hatchback. Similar to the ETIOS  sedan, the interiors of ETIOS Liva will offer maximum user space, especially the rear leg room and a comfortable seating for 5 adults. In fact experts are confident that ETIOS roomy interiors will be a benchmark in the segment.

Toyota will launch the diesel variants of ETIOS and ETIOS Liva after a couple of months. The diesel engine is expected to be an altered 1.4 litre VGT diesel that powers the recently introduced Corolla Altis Diesel. Toyota may not use the VGT technology for the ETIOS diesel so as to keep the cost of the engine under check. Toyota may also introduce the powerful 1.5 litre petrol engine in the ETIOS Liva hatch to lock horns with the powerful hatchbacks such as Tata Indica Vista petrol 90 HP, Volkswagen Polo 1.6 litre petrol etc.,

In India, the demand for diesel cars have increased in the recent past due to the cleaner trouble free engines with advanced technology which assures better fuel efficiency. But Toyota is launching the ETIOS petrol variants first and is postponing the diesel variants launch. There may be valid reasons for the company, however, people will wait till the ETIOS diesels are launched in the market and from then on, the sales chart will be set afire and Toyota will easily reach its target of selling 70,000 ETIOS cars in 2011