Toyota introduces Etios sedan in India..

This morning I was glad to read the news of the release of 1500 cc Toyota Etios from the Bidadi plant of Toyota Kirloskar in Bangalore. Toyota is the world's largest and best manufacturer of automobiles and has enough funds with it to gobble the next three global auto majors many times over !!

The plant built at a cost of Rs 2000 crores is targetting the middle class segment and this B class, Rs 5-7 lakh car is planned as competitor to Maruti Dzire and Tata Manza, Mahindra Renault. 77,000 cars are planned to be produced in 2011..

With 70% localisation initially, to be escalated to 95 % with the Engine and power transmission components to be produced locally, this car will not be exported. A similar assembly line is being planned in Brazil.

Etios will be on Indian roads by Jan 2011, says the brand ambassador A R Rehman.

This release is a good indication that India is slowly growing to be a global automobiles market, second only to China ?? ( not yet..) and this release from Toyota is aimed only at the Indian customer. Out of a stagflated country, Toyota knows where the future is !

Another fact is that for many years Indians were getting cars and heavy vehicles assembled in North and Central India. For a change, now most of the new companies who have set shop in India have started in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. TN is gaining reputation as the manufacturing capital of the country while Bangalore is proud to be called the technology capital of the country.

ge..