Toyota Fortuner launched in India, and its diesel!

Toyota Kirloskar Motor has launched the much-anticipated SUV, the Toyota Fortuner, in the Indian market.

The seven-seater Toyota Fortuner will be available at a price of Rs 18.45 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi. And hey all you diesel lovers, stop cribbing and get about buying one right away!

The price of the Toyota Fortuner is lower than that of its competitors, the Honda CR-V, Mitsubishi Outlander, Ford Endeavour and Chevrolet Captiva.

The Fortuner has reaaallyy been long in coming. Our first article about the Fortuner appeared on this site in 2005 – since then we have been hearing that the launch is postponed, it is postponed yet again, and now its not coming to India at all… It is here, finally, folks. I surely would love to see the CR-V getting some competition anyway, and who better to do that than a Toyota vehicle.

That said, this is no SUV for those who loved the Maruti Gypsy. This is for the CR-V and Captiva crowd – the ones who have already arrived. YOu might also be interested in Toyota’s new car launches at the Auto Expo 2010

On the other hand, its a diesel. As unlike a CR-V as you can get. Toyota has already gained a reputation in India for its diesels in the Innova, and no one is going to think twice about quality anymore.

At this point, there is no information available on the fuel efficiency / mileage figures of the Toyota Fortuner.

“The SUV market in India has witnessed extensive growth due to launches in mid and premium SUV segment. We expect that the launch of the Fortuner will expand the mid SUV market in India,” said Toyota Kirloskar Motor Deputy Managing Director (Marketing), Mr. Sandeep Singh.

Other than just being a large car and a smooth city cruiser, Toyota Fortuner has considerable off-road capabilities.

The SUV is driven by a 3.0L D-4D diesel engine developing 171PS of Max power and 343 Nm of max torque. There is no automatic transmission feature available yet. The Toyota Fortuner comes with an all time 4-wheel drive system. Related: SUVs in India

The Toyota Fortuner measures 4695mm in length, 1840mm breadth and 1850mm in height.

Safety features of the SUV include two airbags for the driver and front seat passenger, ABS, and Toyota’s acclaimed Global Outstanding Assessment design for crash impact. The climate control system comes as standard fitment.

The SUV rides on its massive 17″ alloy wheels, and has spacious interiors.

The Toyota Fortuner will be available in five colors, white, silver, grey, black and blue.

“Globally, Fortuner has already sold over 2.5 lakh units in more than 60 countries since its launch in 2005. The launch of Fortuner today is an expression of Toyota’s commitment to provide best in class quality and technology to our customers in India,” said Toyota Motor Corporation Senior Managing Director, Mr. Akira Okabe.

The Toyota Fortuner will be assembled at Toyota’s facility in Bidai, Bangalore, and sold as an imported vehicle.

Toyota Kiloskar Motor is a joint venture between Japan-based Toyota Motor Corporation and India’s Kirloskar group.

So go ahead and take a good look at this new SUV. For those who still want a successor to the Gypsy, take to the bottle – there is no succor for you in the near future!