Back in December last year, cars with diesel engines over 2000cc had been banned in Delhi. The move has affected a lot of major automotive players in the country like Tata Motors, Toyota, Mahindra and Mercedes-Benz. Toyota has stated that, due to uncertainty in the sale of high-end diesel vehicles in the National Capital Region, the company has reduced confidence in the Indian market.
Toyota has no immediate plans to launch new cars with bigger diesel engines for now, unless the ban is lifted. Though paying an additional cess will not be a fair idea, TKM vice-chairman Shekhar Vishwanathan has indicated that paying additional cess to avoid ban might be considered. Apart from Corolla, Etios and other lower end models with smaller diesel engines, the company’s other products like Fortuner, Innova, Prado and Land Cruiser have taken a strong hit.
Speaking about it, Shekhar Vishwanathan, said, “Toyota Motor’s confidence in India has taken a big knock after the Supreme Court ban since mid-December last on sale of high-end diesel cars and SUVs, and the continuing uncertainty... is only adding to it. But it is our job at Toyota Kirloskar Motor to reinstate that confidence.”
He further added that, “It has become very difficult to launch new products or commit fresh investments. This is in spite of the fact that we have been producing vehicles complying with all the norms laid out in the country from day one.”
Mahindra is the first one to tackle this and other manufacturers looking at workarounds; Toyota is yet to come out with a solution for this. With the launch of the New Innova Crysta and them being unable to sell it in the NCR region, the sales charts will be presenting some unpleasant news for the company.
