Toyota Vios spied testing in Bangalore

A fully camouflaged test mule of Toyota’s third generation Vios sedan has been spied testing in Bangalore. There have been rumours afloat about Toyota launching the car in India, but the Japanese carmaker has been tight lipped about it.

It is hard to ascertain the reason for testing the Vios in India, but there is a possibility that the sedan might make it to India. First rumours of Toyota launching the Vios in India spread in early 2000s, but it never happened. Since then the C-Segment has developed and has many products like the Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Skoda Rapid, Volkswagen Vento, Nissan Sunny and the MarutiCiaz.

Essentially, the Vios is sold in Asian countries only and is powered by a 1.3- and a 1.5-litre petrol engines. Choice of transmissions are a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic. If launched in India, the Vios will use the 1.5-litre engine that powers the Etios sedan and might also get the 1.4-litre D-4D diesel mill. It could be offered with a choice of 5- and a 6-speed manual gearbox as the Honda City and Hyundai Verna use 6-speed units.

Currently, the Honda City rules the roost in the C2 Segment in India, closely followed by the MarutiCiaz and the Hyundai Verna. The Vios might appeal to the Indian buyers given Toyota’s image of making reliable cars.

Source: Tbhp