Toyota to bring Jeep Compass rivaling SUV & a new MPV to India

Toyota is busy preparing its new strategy for the Indian market. The Innova Crysta and the Fortuner are the market sales leader in their respective segment but the Japanese manufacturer is now eyeing the lower priced segments to conquer. For the same, it is planning to bring in a new MPV and an SUV in the market, both in the Rs. 15-20 lakh price range. The upcoming SUV will chiefly target the Jeep Compass and will be priced higher than the MPV. The MPV, on the other hand, will sit below the Innova Crysta. The new vehicles launched by Toyota will be BNSVAP compliant and will be powered by BSVI compliant engines too

After Toyota launches the Innova Crysta facelift in India, its prices are expected to go up considerably higher than the current prices. Also, it will get a new competitor in the form of the Kia Carnival and hence the company will equip the Innova facelift enough to maintain its lead in the market. this means higher price and hence a new gap in the price range. This place will be filled by the new MPV. MPVs are getting quite popular in India of late and therefore Toyota is planning on bringing a smaller than Innova MPV soon.

Coming to the SUV, it will be priced higher than the Toyota MPV and will directly rival the Jeep Compass. With the Compass, Jeep has proved that the Indian market is not only about cheap pricing. Buyers are ready to shell some extra money if they are getting a better-finished product and a good brand value along with it. Toyota enjoys a good reputation in the Indian car market and therefore a smaller than Fortuner SUV could do wonders for the company if done right.

While it is not fully confirmed, the new SUV by Toyota could be a crossover known as the Rush in the International markets. The MPV, on the other hand, could be the Avanza MPV. The Avanza will be aimed more towards the mass volume customer group while the Rush will be positioned as a premium crossover in its segment

Toyota has entered into a partnership with Maruti Suzuki to share platforms, technology and expertise in the Indian auto market. As a result of this partnership, we will soon see Toyota branded Baleno, Ertiga and Vitara Brezza among others. Also, Maruti Suzuki will launch a sedan based on the new generation Corolla Altis, which will be launched in 2020. The key aim of this partnership is to save time, cost as well as labour on new model development and production.

With the new models planned by Toyota along with the Marut based lineup in the sub Rs. 10 lakh segment, it can be said that Toyota is finally working seriously towards offering products in every segment. Whether or not it will succeed is a question that would be answered after the launch of the respective vehicles. However, we can expect top-notch build quality from Toyota for sure.

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