This is the Toyota Etios concept, which shows a new small car for emerging markets.
The sub-four metre Etios was unveiled at today's New Delhi motor show and is reported to be 90 per cent production ready. It will go on sale in India at the end of this year.
However, it won't be a Nano rival, because it's set to cost around $10,000 (£6000). Instead, it will challenge one of India's other best-selling cars, the Maruti Swift. To this end, Toyota has put an emphasis on providing a larger and better quality interior than the Swift's.
Toyota Etios - official interior and exterior pictures
The Etios is based on an all-new platform, codenamed EFC 800 L, and Toyota is showcasing both the hatch and saloon body styles in Delhi. The latter is set to go on sale first, followed three months later by the hatch.
Toyota wants a gradual ramp-up in production to ensure that there is no compromise on its quality and hence wants the hatch, which will sell in larger volumes, to come later. Toyota is understood to have squeezed out costs to ensure that the Etios is as price-competitive as possible. That means limited sound-proofing, a hard but durable interior, basic seats and one windscreen wiper.
The Etios will come with two engine options: 1.2 and 1.5-litre DOHC petrol engines. Plans to offer a 1.4-litre diesel powerplant have been put on hold.
It will be sold from the end of 2010 in markets including India, Russian and South America, and it is likely to be built at Toyota’s new Indian factory from late 2010, with production also earmarked for Brazil in 2011.
Toyota is hoping to sell 70,000 examples of the car in India in the first year, with a gradual increase in production from there on.
A Toyota spokesman said that there are no plans to adapt and sell the car in Europe.
Autocar India
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Re: Toyota Etios launched
if I was being flippant I'd say I thought Autocar had got the pictures mixed up with the "car for the blind" story....
....however to design, develop & produce a vehicle to hit a sale price that low is impressive, regardless of how it looks. Interior is OK actually if a little garish (ok if you're blind I guess).
Just one thought - the emerging markets are soon going to be flooded with Etioses, Nanos etc - if their manufacturers achieve their targets - by the millions as these populations move up from mopeds etc. How will this effect global vehicle emissions - I don't believe China, India and similar markets have any where near as stringent emissions legislation as the western markets, so won't all these uber-cheap cars just negate the good work done on CO2 over the last years?
Re: Toyota Etios launched
Im sure you get get an Aygo for the same money
Re: Toyota Etios launched
I have to be honest, it looks better than I was expecting. The hatchback looks better than the saloon like a lot of cars, but I'm utterly puzzled as to why they've decided to use a red Toyota iQ steering wheel. Not being funny, but it kind of takes the shine of the iQ's relatively cool steering wheel, being used in a bargain basement hatchback. Still, the cabin looks pretty alright. This is obviously a competitor for the Dacia Sandero, and whilst I think the Sandero looks better, this isn't half bad for £6,000. If only they'd chosen a better name and better headlights! Like someone said earlier, there's more than a hint of 90s Starlet about it.