Looks like Japanese car maker Toyota is mulling over introducing its luxury brand Lexus in India.
Emerging reports indicate that the company is considering its luxury cars for India as the market for luxury marquee has been witnessing great response from the auto lovers in the domestic market.
"We see a lot of opportunity in India now. Given that the three German brands are doing well, I feel we need Lexus here," Naomi Ishii, managing director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), the Indian subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, told Times of India.
Currently India's luxury car market has been dominated by the German trio- Mercedes Benz, Audi and BMW. Despite the sluggish demand witnessed by the auto market over the past couple of months, the luxury cars in the country have managed to find good number of takers. However, it is not going to be easy for Toyota to fit into the market, unless the company finds a way to assemble its Lexus locally in India.
TKM has recently expanded its portfolio in the country with the launch of Corolla Altis and Etios Cross. The Corolla Altis in India comes with a price tag ranging between ₹11.99 lakh and ₹16.89 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
New Corolla Altis is being offered in five petrol trims - J(S), G, G-CVT, GL and VL (CVT) and four diesel trims - DJ, DJ(S), DG and DGL in the domestic market. First unveiled at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo, the all-new eleventh generation Corolla Altis parades new radiator grille, LED headlamps, clearance lamps and wide rear LED combination lamps. Coming to the rear end design of the new car, it features chrome garnish and comes with R 16 alloy wheels.
Meanwhile, the new crossover Etios Cross is being offered with a price tag of ₹5.76 lakh. The new Etios Cross, an overhauled version of Toyota Etios Liva is offered in three engine options - with two petrol engines and one diesel engine. While petrol Etios Cross is powered by a 1.2 litre DOHC engine and 1.5 litre DOHC engine, which can generate maximum power of 6KW (90 PS) @ 5600 rpm and 59KW (80 PS) @ 5600 rpm respectively, the diesel model of the new crossover draws power from 1.4-liter diesel motor.
