Toyota's first standalone electric SUV, the Urban Cruiser Ebella, delivers strong range and performance with premium quality, but rear space and features could have been better, says Somnath Chatterjee.
EV manufacturers point out that converting a regular petrol car into a flex-fuel vehicle requires only about Rs 17,000-25,000 per unit, whereas developing an EV demands vastly greater investments in research, battery development, and localisation.
Maruti Suzuki, India's largest producer of small cars, stands to benefit the most.
Despite the benefits of hybrid technology, a lack of government backing and few launches have kept the segment from gaining ground.
Amid slowing volume sales among India's major automakers, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has defied the trend with strong growth, driven by demand for hybrid vehicles and a reliable product line up. The company expects this momentum to continue in 2025. "The overall response to our cars has been fabulous. So, we foresee the same momentum in 2025 as well," Sabari Manohar, vice-president, sales-service-used car business, TKM, said.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) on Wednesday launched new version of its premium sedan Camry Hybrid in the country priced at Rs 41.7 lakh (ex-showroom). The sedan now comes with a new front bumper, grille and alloy wheels, a floating type bigger 9-inch infotainment system, among others. Further, the self-charging hybrid electric sedan is now available in a new exterior colour of Metal Stream Metallic in addition to the existing colours of Platinum White Pearl, Silver Metallic, Graphite Metallic, Red Mica, Attitude Black, and Burning Black.
The recently launched Toyota Camry looks good, drives well, offers ridiculous levels of space and comes quite feature-loaded.
Toyota on Thursday launched updated versions of its sedan Camry in India.
The New Camry would be available in four grades and is priced between Rs 21,26,000 and Rs 23,40,000, officials of Toyota's Indian unit, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, told a news conference in Bangalore. The launch was seen as Toyota's attempt to revitalise sales of this model.
The is expected to cost about Rs 35 lakh.
The new Toyota Camry will be challenging the likes of Volkswagen Passat, Hyundai Sonata, Honda Accord and Skoda Superb, to name a few popular names from the segment.
The company, which is present in India through a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group, plans to launch the new Camry with some changes in its looks after the sales of the model fell drastically by over 75 per cent during the April- June period.
Camry is the highest grossing vehicle from the Toyota clan in the global market.
Speaking to reporters after flagging off Etios exports to South Africa for the first time, Sandeep Singh, deputy managing director (marketing), said so far the Camry had been imported.
The company, which is present in India through a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group, will start the exercise from next month and will contact the respective customers, check and change the part, if necessary, free of cost.
The fuel efficiency of the vehicle is 19.16kmpl.
India's luxury car rental market is experiencing a surge in demand, particularly in Tier 1 cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, and Delhi, with executive travellers, especially from the tech sector and younger demographics like the millennials and the Gen Z, increasingly renting high-end vehicles for special occasions and domestic travel. Luxorides, a luxury car rental company, observed a 40 per cent year-on-year rise in bookings in 2024 (until April) on popular routes like Delhi-Rishikesh, Delhi-Vrindavan, and Delhi-Jim Corbett National Park, as well as Chandigarh-Manali and Chandigarh-Ladakh.
Plug-in hybrids have two engines and the electric part has a much larger battery than in the regular hybrids. Car companies, led by the Japanese, are pushing the Indian government to look at hybrids in the interim if it wants to reduce carbon emission.
In October, the company had launched Ciaz in both petrol and diesel options.
At a time when consumers increasingly embrace green mobility solutions, it is not electric cars but hybrids that are taking the lead, as automotive sales data indicate. Since January, 64,097 electric cars have been sold compared to 266,465 hybrids, according to data from the ministry of road transport and highways' Vahan dashboard. Hybrid car sales have surged from 4.42 per cent of the 4.1 million cars sold in calendar year 2022 to 7.2 per cent this year.
At a time when consumers increasingly embrace green mobility solutions, it is not electric cars but hybrids that are taking the lead, as automotive sales data indicate. Since January, 64,097 electric cars have been sold compared to 266,465 hybrids, according to data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways' Vahan dashboard. Hybrid car sales have surged from 4.42 per cent of the 4.1 million cars sold in calendar year 2022 to 7.2 per cent this year.
The trend is expected to gain momentum as global vehicle makers in India, particularly from Japan, ride on hybrids to meet the more stringent fuel efficiency norms that take effect in 2022.
The Camry hybrid sold 466 units in January-April in the region.
The company is currently celebrating the first anniversary of its Camry Hybrid in India during which it has sold 541 units
The GST Council last year imposed a cess of 15 per cent on hybrid vehicles, in addition to the 28 per cent GST, leading to a total tax burden of 43 per cent against a previous tax rate of 28 per cent.
Three revamped sedans in the premium segment that come with the features, technology and drive quality of luxury cars. Which is the best for you?
Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Tuesday said it has lifted the lockout at its Karnataka (Bidadi)-based manufacturing plants.
The Accord Hybrid will be imported through the CBU route to India
With cars like the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic selling in very small numbers and potentially even being phased out, the Octavia has very little competition, says Pavan Lall.
The world is weird and we have the images to prove it!
Toyota had announced a global recall of 65 lakh vehicles to rectify a power window glitch, which could lead to fire risk.
The Sonata's back. Can it sing its way to success?
GM, which sold 9.29 million cars in 2012, was the top-selling carmaker for more than seven decades before losing the title to Toyota in 2008.
"We see high market potential with growing population of Indian middle class families aspiring for more advanced features like safety, space, luxury and comfort," Toyota Kirloskar Motor's MD Akito Tachibana told reports at the Auto Expo in Greater Noida last week.
These cars are priced between Rs 12 lakhs (Rs 1.2 million) and Rs 20 lakhs (Rs 2 million).
Prius is priced between Rs 26.55 lakh and Rs 27.86 lakh.
Toyota has asked 3.8 million vehicle owners of seven popular models to remove the floor mat of their car that could jam the accelerator pedal and cause a crash.
'More than one brand in a showroom is too risky because customer loyalty in this market is low. Most people don't drive different cars made by the same manufacturer for a lifetime, they experiment.'
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