Amid rumours that Daihatsu Motor Co, one of the oldest Japanese car-manufacturers, which is known for its range of smaller models, is gearing up to enter the Indian auto market, its President Masanori Mitsui said the company is yet to take a final call on which market to set foot in next.
Reuters reports that although Daihatsu has plans for expansion, the company, which has presence in Indonesia and Malaysia, is yet to finalise its next market. However, Mitsui, while speaking to Reuters, said the next market for Daihatsu is likely to be an emerging country.
"We are in Indonesia and Malaysia at the moment, but we haven't made a decision on which country we'd like to enter next," Reuters quoted Mitsui as saying.
Recent reports suggest Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), the world's biggest car-maker, is planning to bring Daihatsu small cars to India. Toyota, which is currently in the process of making Daihatsu a wholly-owned subsidiary, is said to be evaluating the possibility of bringing Daihatsu models in the domestic market. Toyota is expected to complete the buyout process by August this year.
A recent report on LiveMint said a team led by Masanori Takahashi, senior executive officer at Daihatsu Motor, is in Bengaluru to plan the entry of Daihatsu models in India. Daihatsu, which will challenge the dominance of Maruti Suzuki in the country, is also in talks with vendors for supply of parts.
According to the report, Toyota is also likely to introduce the company's Indian suppliers to the Daihatsu team later in April during a two-day vendor conference. Daihatsu models are expected to be sold with the Toyota badge as the company thinks establishing a new brand will be difficult at this point of time, Economic Times reported.
