Toyota could bring back petrol Innova

With demand drastically dropping for the diesel-powered Innova in Delhi and NCR, thanks to the recent ban, Toyota is contemplating bringing back the petrol-powered Innova.

When the Innova was introduced here in 2005, it came with a petrol version that had a 4-cylinder, 2.0-litre engine that put out 132bhp and 181Nm of torque. However, the petrol version didn’t do well because the Innova is a heavy car and fuel economy wasn’t great. 

If Toyota revives the petrol version, they might as well use the option of fitting a CNG kit. This would make buying and running costs extremely attractive as CNG will be cheaper to run on. This will only be beneficial for Toyota as the petrol Innova is essentially intended for the NCR market and CNG is a preferred fuel in this region. 

Toyota benefits hugely from the sales of its diesel-powered vehicles and the move to rope in petrol variants could now be enforced for all forthcoming products. The main outcome would be to prevent any further risk on sales from any rulings on diesel vehicles. There is a growing concern among car makers to look for alternatives in case the current ban is extended. NCR accounts for 14 per cent of Toyota’s total sales.