Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Tuesday announced the withdrawal of its best selling model -- the Qualis -- from the Indian market on Tuesday.
Giving the reason for the withdrawal of Qualis, Toyota said in a media release that market research indicates that the customer's needs are changing and the Qualis will be withdrawn to give way to a more modern and customer-value driven vehicle, said the company.
Toyota said that the new model will be able to satisfy the requirements of MPV and passenger car markets -- providing MPV performance along with comforts of a passenger car.
"The Qualis has been our mainstay in India for the past five years. It has provided the perfect platform for Toyota in this country, but we feel it is time to bring in newer products that will provide better value to the customer. We will continue to provide quality products, quality service and aiming to 'Touch the Perfection' in all our activities," said A Toyoshima, managing director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, in the media release.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor is a joint venture between Toyota Motor Corporation and the Kirloskar Group.
The Qualis -- the name is derived from Quality and Service -- was introduced on January 11, 2000 and quickly redefined the multi purpose vehicle (MPV) segment in India.
By the end of the first year itself, the Qualis had established its leadership in the segment, selling over 21,000 units and garnering 35 per cent share in the segment.
The Qualis also set benchmarks in the same year, winning awards from eminent institutions such as JD Power, NFO Automotive, Overdrive, Business Standard Motoring, etc -- both in quality as well as performance.
The premium MPV further consolidated its position in the Indian market by selling over 28,000 units in 2001 and capturing a share of over 40 per cent in the MPV market.
In September 2002, TKM introduced the 'New Qualis,' with a new 7-seater variant.
In spite of introduction of new models in the MPV segment in 2003 by its competitors, the Qualis continued its march in the MPV segment -- selling over 30,000 units garnering a market share of 32 per cent in the segment during the year. The Qualis also became the fastest MPV in India to clock 100,000 sales in the same year.
