Japanese automaker Toyota set new records for the hatchback and the sedan car segment by launching the Etios senda as well as the Liva hatchback. Prior to this, Toyota did not sell any automobile that was primarily targeted at the middle-class, budget-conscious buyer in the Indian market. True to its style of working, it conducted intensive research to get a deeper understanding of the targeted buyers. However, to some extent, Toyota atypically misjudged the higher hopes customers had set for the car that came with a Toyota badge.
Toyota assumed that the mass buyers in India would not pay a great deal of attention to the minor details if the car was competitively priced. Thus, they liberally went ahead with trimming down on the features, in a bid to bring down the costs. However, buyers, even those looking to buy an entry-level Toyota, already had high expectations. The Etios’ as well as Liva’s unpleasant cabins and zero refinement only left them disappointed. To make matters worse for the Japanese car maker, the competition came in full force and this made it even tougher for Etios and the Liva to find the owners.
Toyota was aware that it had to take corrective action, and quickly to convince potential buyers of the Etios as well as of the Liva that these two cars were good enough amid the competition. And, thus, it went ahead and launched the upgraded versions of the Etios and the Liva. Both the cars received some minor modifications to the rear-view mirrors, lamps and even the grille. Toyota had worked on small but significant tweaks to enhance the overall look and feel of these cars.
The variants of the Toyota Etios and Liva were launched amid much hype and expectations. The Etios limited edition and the Etios Liva limited edition were well received by the buyers. The Toyota Etios diesel mileage for city is 20.32 kmpl while on highways, the new Etios delivers a mileage of 23.59 kmpl. Indeed, the new Etios as well the new Liva were much appreciated for their excellent performance, quality and affordable pricing. The new Etios came as a complete package for the average Indian car buyer.
The new vehicles from Toyota offer a one-of-its-kind ownership experience. While the petrol variant of the Etios sedan comes at a starting price of Rs. 6.05 lakhs, the diesel variant of the Etios is priced at Rs. 7.13 lakhs. The launched of the new models coincided with one lakh recorded sales of the Etios sedan as well as marked the Etios Liva’s second anniversary.
What made the new Etios so attractive to the buyers was the minor modifications introduced to the dampers. Suspension noise was also reduced and the overall ride quality saw a considerable improvement. The sharp edges seen in the previous version were rounded off in the newer version. Still, the damping could have been even better. One can still feel vertical, sharp movements on bumpy surfaces. However, the new Etios still makes for a prized catch.
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I am into the auto blogs field for quite a long time. Living my passion of reviewing cars.
Tagged: Toyota Cars India, Toyota Etios, Toyota India
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