At our recent media interaction with Toyota India’s Deputy Managing Direction of Marketing, Mr. Sandeep Singh, we have learned that the Japanese car maker is working on a mid-life facelift for the Etios twins. Toyota doesn’t plan to launch new vehicles in India for a few years now. Instead the complete focus will be on the Etios and Etios Liva cars, which the company feels have huge potential. The Etios Liva will continue to be the entry-level Toyota car in India and there are no plans to launch any vehicle below it.
Toyota launched the Etios sedan in December 2010, following it up with the Etios Liva hatchback in 2011. Both these cars are doing decent numbers but haven’t really put the sales chart on fire, as much as Toyota would have liked. The reason for the rather average performance of the Etios brand can be blamed to the un-Toyota like quality and bland styling. Toyota has taken feedback from customers and intends to address quality issues with the facelifted model. The position of the instrument cluster is not very convenient but will remain in the centre, even on the updated models.
The Toyota Etios facelift will be launched by the middle of 2013. The changes will be purely cosmetic, in order to keep things fresh. Toyota is aware about the design of the Etios not being very appealing but that is something which they will only be able to address in the next generation model, due by 2016. The main changes to the facelifted Etios twins will be on the inside. The quality of interiors will be vastly improved and the seats will get adjustable head rests. Toyota hopes the improvements in quality will lead to increase in sales of the Etios twins.
