A lot has already been written about the entry of Japan's oldest car manufacturer Daihatsu in India. While Daihatsu's entry has almost been confirmed, it still remains unclear whether the brand will foray into the Indian market with its own identity or with the Toyota badge. A new report of GaadiWaadi quoted Naveen Soni, vice president of Toyota India, as saying that the brand will be sold under its own badge.
It had earlier been reported that Daihatsu would be sold in India with the Toyota badge as the brand thinks that establishing a new identity in the lucrative market would be difficult and time-consuming. On contrary to this, the latest report says that Daihatsu, the brand known for small cars will bear its own identity and is likely to use the manufacturing facility of Toyota in India.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor is currently in the process of making Daihatsu a wholly-owned subsidiary. The buyout process is expected to be completed by August this year. Daihatsu, which has Ayla, Sirion, Cuore, Materia and Terios in its hatchback portfolio, will be positioned to challenge the front-runners like Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai in its segment. However, it remains to be seen whether the brand will bring new cars to India or will it introduce its existing models in the country.
Previous reports had said that a team of Daihatsu has started working on the project and is also studying the possibility of introducing the existing models to the Indian market. It was also reported that Toyota is likely to introduce the company's Indian suppliers to the Daihatsu team later in April during a two-day vendor conference.
