2012 Toyota Fortuner specification & Features

The upcoming model of the Toyota Fortuner has just been revealed in Thailand. This is the very same facelift that will be coming to India. Toyota has updated its Thailand website with images and specifications of the new SUV as well. The front end is where a lot has changed including the grille, the headlamps and the bumper. The rear end has also undergone a makeover and so has been the interior.

• The new Fortuner now looks more bolder than the earlier version especially with the huge chrome grille with horizontal slats. 
• The headlights get new projector lamps alongside conventional lights.
• The fog lamp housing has also been redesigned along with the front bumper which gets a scuff plate as well. 
• Now the old Fortuner looked bulbous from the front which is not the case with the new model

The new Fortuner retains the brute front end look with the lower side of the front fascia now being more flatter than the old SUV. Toyota has also got rid of the side cladding and replaced it with a nice muscular element. In profile the car is instantly recognizable though. At the rear, a redesigned bumper has been added and so has been a new tail lamp cluster. The new clear lense tail lights get an integrated, circular brake lamp as opposed to a rectangular one on the outgoing model.

The interior has also undergone a subtle makeover, the major change being the center console and the steering wheel. The old version had an interior which looked pretty similar to that of the Innova MPV. In the new version the dials too are new giving it a more fresh and unique feel. Now Toyota is offering a 4-speed automatic version of the Fortuner in Thailand which could also come to India. The lack of an auto box was one of the drawbacks the Fortuner faced making the drive a tad more cumbersome in the city, especially given its massive size.

Now, Toyota customers had been complaining about the lack of an automatic option in the Fortuner and this time Toyota might take heed of this and bring in the auto transmission. Despite the lack of an automatic gearbox the Fortuner has been selling only because of the brand and its street presence which is the most sought in India. The powertrain is to remain the same with e 3.0 litre D-4D Diesel with Intercooler Turbocharger which puts out 171 PS and 343 Nm.

The Fortuner’s main rivals in the market today are the Chevrolet Captiva, Mitsubishi Outlander and to an extent the BMW X1, all of which come with automatic transmissions. Secondly, the Captiva is also due for a makeover but expect the new Fortuner to arrive only in 2012 and not during this year.

7th generation Toyota Camry will come this fall winter

Toyota is gearing up for a big launch later this year. The next generation Toyota Camry will be revealed in the second half of 2011. The car will be first put on sale in the United States of America which is one of the biggest markets for the car. According to a Toyota official the seventh generation of the Toyota Camry will be launched this fall. Ahead of its formal launch Toyota have shown us a glimpse of the actual car in a teaser video released by the automaker.

In the video Toyota CEO, Akio Toyoda describes the car as the “best Camry ever” and a ”remarkable car in terms of handling, safety and fuel economy.” Now the earlier Camry was not the car which could be hustled around bends with confidence but it gained on the comfort front making it one of the best cars to be driven in. In India, the Camry has not been the best seller mainly because of its high price. The price of the Toyota Camry nudged Rs 30 lakh which didn’t make it good value for money.

Toyota Camry in India had

• 2.4 litre petrol engine with an optional automatic with four ratios
• 2400cc engine with 167 bhp was refined and perky
• Four speed automatic was smooth as well but an added ratio could have made things even better
• Main trait of the Camry though was the descent legroom at the back and a comfy ride
• For India, the Camry’s ride height was raised and was fitted with harder springs which surprisingly did not ruin the ride

Another factor that played against the car was fuel economy. In the city the Camry’s 2.4 litre engine did 7.6 km to a litre of gasoline. Now, can get similar comfort and performance from other cars like the Skoda Superb and the Honda Accord albiet with better fuel economy and low running costs. One of the things we loved in the Camry apart from the host safety features, fit and finish was the translucent blue center console.

What is the price of Etios Liva hatchback & its variant; Etios Liva hatchback launch date in India

Toyota has launched the Etios Liva hatchback in India. The Etios Liva was launched at a glittering function in New Delhi. The Liva is based on the Etios sedan which was launched earlier. This marks the entry of Toyota into the high volumes hatchback segment in India. Toyota Kirloskar Motors Ltd. are very proud of the fact that the company now offers products all the way from the range topping Landcruiser SUV to the Etios Liva hatchback.

The Etios Liva hatchback will be priced at Rs 3.99 lakh ex-showroom Delhi for the base variant and the top of the line VX priced at Rs 5.99 lakh. The car is available in four trims; J, G, V, VX. Except for the base variant all the other models will get numerous active as well as passive safety features. A very upmarket, 2-DIN system and a huge glove box with cooling function is offered in G, V and VX variants. The focus has been on providing the best possible interior space as well as storage space in the Etios Liva. A 13 litre cooled glove box is unique to the car apart from the other cubbyholes in the car. The car also offers descent boot space of 251 litres.

Toyota Etios Liva Specification and Features

The Etios Liva, which will be available in four variants, J, G, V and VX just like it’s sedan sibling will come with a cooled 13 liter glovebox that common to all the variants, and thus a very nice addition to the car. This apart, another nice addition is the remote to control the 2-DIN stereo apart from the steering mounted controls the Etios Liva Hatchback comes with. The kerb weight of the car at 890 to 920 KGs for the different variants means that the performance won’t be as peppy as the Etios Sedan, which produces more power and torque from a 300cc bigger engine.

For the record, the Etios Liva hatchback produces 80 Bhp power and 104 Nm torque output from the Etios Liva. The standout factor here is the ARAI certified 18.31 KMPL fuel economy figure which is expected to really move things for Toyota at the hustings, and this is something that is very relevant in these times of sky high petrol prices, given that the Etios Liva Diesel will arrive only by the end of this year or early next year. The Etios Liva’ offers airbags, ABS and EBD as the standard safety bits in the higher V and VX variants.

A good thing though is the fact that Airbags, ABS and EBD can be specified as optional for the G variant, which is a good thing as this offers the car buyer more choice, especially when it comes to the critical safety features of ABS and Airbags. The interiors don’t seem any different from the Etios Sedan and hence expect plenty of cheap feeling bits all around. That, in a nutshell is the Toyota Etios Liva for you, a day before Toyota Kirloskar India will officially launch the hatchback in Gandhiland. The only thing that remains a secret is the price, which reportedly will be close to the 4 Lakh rupee mark or even lesser for the base variant.

Lexus Luxury Brand by Toyota will Come to India or not ?

 Lexus LFA

Lexus IS 350 Sedan

Lexus is a high end brand owned by Toyota. Toyota badge still has trouble matching the Mercedes Benzs and Audis of this world.

In India too, Lexus has been an iconic brand with movie stars and industrialists being seen in Lexus cars, so much so that the common man now has an inkling of what the Lexus brand is all about, even though it might be lesser than the brand recall BMW or Mercedes Benz enjoys. So then, Lexus could be what Toyota will seek to launch in India even as the Indian luxury car market is growing by leaps and bounds every passing year.

And not without a reason has Toyota been voicing it’s concern about the India-EU FTA and that there should be parity in CBU duty structures across regions with no special privilege accorded to certain regions. In a nutshell, Toyota might be actively lobbying for the same reduction in duties for CBU cars imported from Japan and why not? Here’s an inkling of what is to come from the Japanese auto major.

Mr Hiroshi Nakagawa, MD of Toyota Kirloskar Motors, says, ”We are studying, and now more deeply considering to bring Lexus to India” while Mr Sandeep Singh, the Deputy Managing Director of Toyota Kirloskar Motors goes on to say that “Traditionally, Toyota does not share dealer network with Lexus. However, we cannot be too sure about India as it is too early now,” Watch this space!

New Petrol and Diesel Version of Toyota Corolla Altis Price in India

Toyota Kirloskar Motors has finally pulled the wraps off the refreshed Toyota Corolla Altis Petrol and Diesel variants. The big change remains in the petrol variant, which gets a new 7 speed CVT automatic gearbox to replace the erstwhile 4 speed auto box. Keeping fuel economy as a prime factor, the petrol Altis also gets a six speed manual gearbox, whose additional gear performing the overdrive function is expected to stretch every liter of petrol farther, especially in cruise mode on the highways.

Petrol engine of the Corolla also gets dual VVT-i, which essentially means that both the intake as well as exhaust valves will now get variable timing. As is the key feature of this technology, both fuel economy as well as power output is set to increase with the Corolla Altis Petrol’s 1.8 Liter engine now pumping out 140 PS of peak power. Toyota claims a class leading ARAI certified 15.22  KMPL for the petrol engined Altis and thus, it is for everyone to see the benefits of the sixth gear and variable valve timing on the mileage. The diesel’s 1.4 Liter turbocharged, common rail engine though doesn’t see any changes.

 

ARAI certified fuel economy of the diesel is too a class leading figure at 21.45 KMPL. While the automatic CVT gearbox would’ve been quite apt for the diesel engined Altis considering the fact that it suffers from annoying turbo lag, cost considerations seem to have prompted Toyota to not offer the CVT box on the diesel Altis. Apart from the mechanical changes on the petrol model, both the petrol and diesel Altis now feature a few cosmetic upgrades that include newer headlamps and a grille up front. The interiors though remain unchanged. 

• Toyota Corolla Altis (petrol) is priced around INR 10.53 lakh
• Toyota Corolla Altis (diesel) is priced around INR INR 14.77 lakh

all prices being ex-showroom Delhi.

When Toyota Etios Liva will launched in India; Toyota Etios Liva Price, Specification and Feature

The 2011 Toyota Etios Liva will be launched on the 27th of June with a petrol variant initially. With that, the long wait for the first Toyota hatchback in the country will come to an end as prospective buyers will be able to drive out their Etios Livas out of Toyota showrooms sometime by the end of July, when deliveries of the Liva are expected to commence. 

One of the most anticipated hatchbacks of 2011, the Etios Liva is expected to be a price warrior just like it’s sedan sibling and will be Toyota’s main volume puller in the Indian car market. That said, the Etios Liva will have a tough road to traverse initially as petrol car sales aren’t exactly doing well at the moment with the high fuel prices and high interest rates causing a slowdown in car sales across segments in India over the past couple of months.

Toyota will be hoping for it’s brand value to carry it thorough for the Etios Liva to get a decent start in India before the real sales booster arrives in the form of the diesel variant. The Etios Liva will feature a 1.2 Liter petrol engine producing 80 Bhp, which allied to the very light weight of the car should ensure that the Etios Liva will be peppy as well as frugal, just like it’s sedan sibling.

A bummer however are the interiors of the Etios Liva, which are exactly the same as the Etios Sedan which though hard wearing simply don’t feel premium enough. The price of the Etios Liva is expected to begin at around 4 Lakhs with the variants speculated to be exactly the same as that of the Etios Sedan. So expect a good level of kit with plenty of options to choose from for the customer. So, the low price with decent levels equipment could be one of the major USPs of the Etios Liva.

TOYOTA RUSH-SPEC REVIEWS

In my recent post, we spoke about Daihatsu Terios. Now, we will review him the 'competitor of S which has a cost more high and more than one mark believed, precipitation of Toyota. The engine of pint Toyota Astra (TAM) and the engine of pint Astra Daihatsu hope to sell thousand units of the precipitation of Toyota/du Daihatsu Terios per month in 2007, a car 1500cc this of the seats to seven