2011 Toyota Etios Production Begins In India

The production of the Toyota Etios has started at a plant near Bangalore, announced the number one Japanese automaker. Developed specifically with Indian customers in mind, the Etios is the most affordable Toyota model in India with a base price of 496,000 rupees (RM 34K). With its annual sales target set at 70,000 units, the Etios is expected to account for almost half of the total sales target of 145,000 units which Toyota has set for India.

To be joined by the Etios Liva five-door hatchback in April 2011, the Etios is currently only available as a sedan, powered by an all-new 1.5-litre 16-valve DOHC engine with 89 hp at 5600 rpm and 132 Nm at 3000 rpm. The use of a five-speed manual transmission, the only option for now, returns an impressive 17.6 km/litre fuel economy.

The Etios is being produced with 70 percent local content, though there are plans to boost that figure to 90 percent by 2013. To achieve that, Toyota intends to locally-produce the engine from the fourth quarter of 2012, and the transmission from early 2013. The Etios would be exported to other emerging markets such as China, Brazil and Thailand in the future.

AboutSeow Yaohan

Seow Yao Han strives to bring you the latest and the most comprehensive information on cars available in Malaysia. But it's never easy for him to talk and write cars in this part of the world because what you lust after is often not what you drive home. When the euphoria of test-driving that branded, super-expensive sports car dies down, he just goes home in his less-than-glamorous ride.