Toyota Tries to Break Indian Market with New Low-Cost Etios Sedan

The world's largest automaker, Toyota Motor Corp., is eyeing emerging markets with a new low cost model that was unveiled this week in India. The production version of the 2010 New Delhi Show Etios Concept is available at launch as a four-door sedan model, but will be joined by a five door hatchback called the Etios Liva in April of 2011.

The company said the Etios has been developed specifically for Indian customers and will be built at a plant in Bidadi, near Bangalore. However, Toyota eventually plans to offer the small sedan in other emerging markets such as China, Brazil, Thailand and possibly certain regions of South America.

The 4.265mm (167.9-in.) long sedan boasts a rather large boot with a luggage space of 595-liters and is powered by a newly developed 1.5L, 16V DOHC engine coupled to a 5-Speed manual transmission. The Etios sedan will be available in four variants, J, G, V and VX, with prices ranging between 4.96 Lakhs and 6.86 Lakhs making it the company's most affordable offering in India.

Commenting on the launch of the Etios, Mr. Akio Toyoda, President TMC said: “India is a key market for our overall strategic growth plans, and the launch of the Etios is definitely a milestone not only for Toyota in India but for Toyota globally."

"We at Toyota believe, ‘the road makes the car’ and the Etios is a product of real-world testing on roads across India. Our testing has covered a hundred thousand kilometers on every kind of road that Indian drivers encounter, from Kolkata to Mumbai, from the Himalayan foothills to the tip of the Indian peninsula

According to JD Power, Toyota sold a little over 60,000 cars in India through October, compared to 870,000+ sales from Marutti Suzuki, which is the market leader in the country.

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Honda Brio Prototype Previews New City Car for Asian Markets

As a follow up to the New Small Concept model showcased this past January at the Auto Expo 2010 in New Delhi, India, Honda revealed the pre-production version of its new small city car called the Brio at the 27th Thailand International Motor Expo (press day: November 30, public days: December 1-12.).

Developed for Asian markets and scheduled to be introduced in Thailand and India in 2011, the Brio has a small footprint measuring just 3,610mm in length, 1,680mm in width and 1,475 mm in height. Even though the Brio keeps the basic styling theme of the concept car, the pre-production prototype's design has been watered down with the new grille looking like a last minute addition and a not very attractive one at that.

The mass-production model, which will be an entry-level car in newly emerging markets, Honda will develop unique versions for Thailand and India to reflect different customer needs in those markets.

Honda said that the Thai model is scheduled to be introduced in March 2011 with a starting price of approximately 400,000 baht or about US$13,300. It will be powered by a more fuel efficient engine returning a combined consumption of less than 5 lt/100km [47.0 mpg US].

For the Indian model that is planned to be introduced within 2011, the Japanese automaker said the engine choice will reflect the need for "a good balance between vehicle performance and price."

“Honda would like to expand the joy of mobility to more customers in Thailand, India and other Asian countries through the introduction of a new small vehicle with compact and highly efficient packaging by utilizing our own experiences cultivated by motorcycle business here in Asia,” said Takanobu Ito, President and CEO of Honda Motor.

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Audi Q5 - Now Also Made in India

Audi today announced that it has started assembly of its Q5 compact SUV at its Aurangabad plant in the Indian state of Maharashtra, with the company planning to build up to 1,500 units per year exclusively for the Indian market.

"The production of the Q5 is part of our long-term growth strategy in India," commented Frank Dreves, Audi Board Member for Production: "The Indian market for automobiles will grow very rapidly, and the Q5 is the right automobile at the right time."

The Q5 is the third Audi model after the A4 and A6 to be built at the company's Indian plant since the start of production in September 2007. Up until now, around 2,000 cars have rolled off the line at Aurangabad, but the German automaker expects to increase that number to about 6,000 units each year by 2015.

2011 VW Polo Sedan: New Photo Gallery, Plus Info on India-Market Version that that Resurrects Vento Name

We've found more than two dozen fresh photos of the new Volkswagen Polo sedan (including first pictures of the interior) that was officially revealed in Moscow earlier this week.

The Russian version of the four-door Polo will be built VW's factory in Kaluga and will be offered with one engine, a 1.6-litre petrol unit producing 105HP and two transmissions, a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic with sequential shift function.

In addition to the new photos, we learned that Volkswagen will launch the Polo sedan as the Vento in the Indian market starting from this fall. It's worth noting that the Vento nameplate was used for the third-generation Jetta in Europe.

The India-market Vento will be manufactured at Volkswagen's plant in Chakan, Pune and will be available in diesel and petrol variants coupled to either manual or automatic transmissions.

VW has yet to reveal in which other markets aside from Russia and India the Polo sedan / Vento will go on sale.