Toyota Vios sedan launch timeline revealed; To challenge Honda City & Maruti Ciaz

Toyota will launch a brand new car next year – the Vios sedan. The C-Segment car will compete with the Honda City, the Maruti Ciaz and the Hyundai Verna. The car is expected to be launched before Diwali 2018, and could be showcased at the upcoming Auto Expo. Toyota has already been testing the Vios on Indian roads.

The car, which is sold in South East Asian markets, is available only with a petrol engine. It is also slightly smaller than the likes of the City and Ciaz, with a length of 4,420mm. It is wider though, with a width of 1,700mm. The car’s 1.5 liter petrol engine makes 108 Bhp, and is offered with two gearboxes – a 5 speed manual and a CVT automatic. The CVT automatic gearbox gets 7 shift points, which means that it could also be used in manual mode. Toyota may offer paddle shifters on the automatic version of the car.

Since diesels are big in the Indian market, the 1.4 liter D-4D turbocharged diesel engine that is found in the Corolla Altis sedan could also be offered on the Vios sold here. The engine makes 89 Bhp and 200 Nm on the Corolla Altis, which is expected to be the similar state of tune on the Vios Diesel. A 6 speed manual gearbox could be offered on the diesel engine. So far, there has been no confirmation about the diesel engine though. Notably, the car is not sold with a diesel engine anywhere in the world.

If a diesel is offered in India, it’ll be a global first for the Vios. The Vios recently got a facelift, and looks quite fresh and appealing. It will be Toyota’s latest mass market car in India, and the first car in the sub-10 lakh rupee category after many years. Will it prove to be a success or a failure? Time will tell. For now, we’re excited that Toyota is finally bringing a fresh car to India.

Via ACI