Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd., showcased the Etios which turned out to be a headturner at the Auto Expo held in New Delhi in January 2010. While the car was not a production model, people at the Expo got a fairly clear picture of what the car would look like once it arrived and now Toyota Kirloskar Motors is all set to unveil the Etios on the 1st of December this year.
We think that Toyota will first unveil the sedan version and then the hatch but we do not know if Toyota might have some surprises up its sleeve. We also feel that the 1.4-litre engine that displaces 87bp, which was introduced in the Corolla Altis Diesel (read road test here) earlier this year would find its way in the Etios as well. The Etios hatch will be powered by a 1.2-litre engine (read our Upcoming Cars Section)
The sedan was conceived to compete with the Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Verna, Mahindra Logan, Fiat Linea, Tata Indigo Manza, Volkswagen Vento and the Swift Dzire, all well established in the diesel sedan segment. Hence, it would be only logical to put the 1.4-litre power plant in the sedan to keep pace with the rest in the segment. As we look forward to Toyota Kirloskar Motors opening a new chapter in their venture with cars in India we will keep you updated about their plans. Stay tuned for more!
