Toyota - pioneers of automobile manufacturing, globally the No.1 player with the best selling model of the COROLLA. Championing techniques like TQM, JIT, Lean Manufacturing and what not...recent launch by them in our country - "Corolla Altis Diesel". You know what, I think the screws are getting a little loose somewhere!! A highly underpowered engine of 89bhp which is even worse than a i20(90) being a hatchback. India agreeably is predominantly changing into a diesel market. 2 consequences from this debacle i can see - 1) diluting the brand "Corolla Altis" which is being sold as a premium sedan comparable to the Civic etc... 2) not establishing the foundation for their upcoming small car launch of the "ETIOS"..watch out for that space guys!!!!!!!!
For starters i hope this was fine......
This was not only fine, but above excellence. ~Thumbs up~
ReplyDeleteYou see, the Altis diesel not only fails to pack a punch under the hood, but also dilutes the self image with a different look. The Altis diesel has a very puny 1.4 litre unit which does no justice to the corolla brand. With hot hathces closing up on the 100BHP mark, what was toyota thinking?
In comparo, with the the new Polo 1.6 from the Volkswagen stable although on a different segment, this new toyota offering is a very confusing mix of opposites. Consumers are obviously not going to compare it to the uber powerful Cruze, or the Uber cool Civic. This Altis will do justice as a point A to B commuter, and is probably targeted at the transport network segment, a.k.a. luxury taxis. It will be cheap for cab owners to buy and maintain, and yet command a premium price. ;)
On a different note, I think the next Indian Bestseller is gonna be the new Alto K10. 76 BHP from a car which weighs as much as a feather, it is surely gonna be the next tuners delight!
Regards
Preetam
N i think this was for akshai..!!! lol....
ReplyDeletewell daid KK....only hope it rings a bell...blessing in disguise!!!
ReplyDeletealto k10 comes wit 68bhp @6200 rpm da.. jus went for its chennai launch y'day at Le Royale Meridian. sure will pack a punch. Higehest power to weight ratio in class.
ReplyDeleteHello adi, congrats on posting this thread, as everyone said YES the Altis diesel is underpowered, but there must be some differentiating factor in each car, though not as competent as the European market India too has fairly competent sedan market. What i think is toyota have positioned this car to be a no fuss chauffeur driven sedan, for a car to be chauffeur driven power is not the main criteria, luxurious and fuel efficient sedans is something India has not seen so far,so based on such a need in India they have planned to position this car as a fuel efficient fuss free car which can be driven for ages. Yes i do agree that it might dilute the brand corolla, what they could have done is released another car with a different name, again I am too inexperienced to comment on Toyota's positioning plan. It would be interesting to see what the consumers feel about it and how successful it would emerge.
ReplyDeleteRegards
Abhishek S