The slowdown in the auto sector had everyone worried. However, the festive month of October 2019 brought some cheer. Toyota India posted their sales figures for the month, where a total of 11,866 units were sold in the domestic market alone. The company exported 744 units of the Etios series this month, clocking a total of 12610 units. For the same period last year, Toyota Kirloskar Motor sold a total of 12606 units in the domestic market. The company exported 639 units of the Etios series in October 2018.
The company’s partnership with Maruti Suzuki has paid dividends too as the Glanza hatchback, which is a re-badged Baleno, has found 14,000 owners since launch. The number was achieved as the company witnessed a spike in the sales of the Glanza during the festive season. A new G MT (manual transmission) base variant of the Glanza was introduced last month at Rs 6.98 lakh ex-showroom. The reduction in cost is a result of the new base variant skipping on the Smart Hybrid technology, which was paired with the 1.2-litre, K12N DualJet mild-hybrid engine. The new G MT variant uses the 1.2-litre, K12M non-hybrid engine.
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Manufacturing at Toyota’s facility in India is based on a “pull system” which ensures that their dealers receive stocks only when they need to refurbish the inventory. With the positive sales pattern, Toyota is preparing its production system to supply to the sustained customer demand for next month. The partnership between Toyota and Maruti will continue and the next product which could be shared by the two companies is the upcoming Vitara Brezza facelift. Unlike Maruti, Toyota India has confirmed that it will upgrade its diesel engines to meet the BS-VI norms, however, it will result in a substantial spike in prices of their vehicles.
Commenting on the sales performance, Mr N. Raja, Deputy Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “We are delighted that the customer demand witnessed a spike in the festive season especially during Dhanteras and Diwali. The boost in customer sentiments has enabled an upward trend in our sales performance as compared to the last few months of slowdown. It was quite encouraging to see the marked improvement in customer orders on account of the festive season.”