Toyota targets 5-10 percent Fortuner sales from petrol variant

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) which has, for the first time, rolled out its new second-generation Fortuner SUV in a petrol variant along with the diesel model, is gunning for a 5-10 percent share accruing from the petrol portfolio.

It expects these sales to come mainly from the metros, Delhi-NCR and Kerala. It may be recollected that the eight-month Supreme Court ban on above 2.0-litre diesel cars in Delhi-NCR and Kerala had severely impacted TKM’s sales. While the ban has been lifted, TKM prefers to play safe now entering the market with an alternative petrol variant.

This was disclosed by N Raja, senior VP and director of TKM, at the launch of the second-generation Fortuner today in New Delhi. The chunk of the sales is expected from the 2.8-litre diesel-engined Fortuner with the motor being locally made at TKM’s recently opened Jigani diesel engine plant in Bangalore. The Fortuner shares the diesel engine with the Toyota Innova Crysta.

The new Fortuner is powered by a 2.7-litre petrol engine with an all-new six-speed AT and five-speed MT while the diesel version is powered by a 2.8-litre motor along with the new six-speed AT and MT options. Pricing starts at Rs 25.92 lakh for the 2WD petrol while the 2.8-litre diesel 2WD model kicks off at Rs 27.52, both equipped with MTs. The AT variants are priced at Rs 27.67 lakh for the petrol trim and Rs 29.14 lakh for the diesel option. The diesel though gets a 4WD option as well in both MT and AT versions.

The second-gen Fortuner has a localisation content of 70-80 percent but the SUV’s petrol engine, unlike the diesel variant, is being imported. At present, the company’s Bidadi facility makes the smaller petrol engines for the Toyota Etios and Liva models. The higher-capacity petrol engines are still imported.

The earlier Fortuner was averaging sales of 1,500 units a month and Raja is optimistic of the new SUV selling in higher volumes. In 2014-15, the Fortuner 4x4 AT variant sold 16,500 units and commanded a market share of 75 percent.

Meanwhile, with the lifting of the diesel ban in Delhi, the recently launched Toyota Crysta SUV is clocking a waiting period of 1.5-2 months with the top-end AT variant contributing 50-60 percent of the sales, selling between 5,000-7,000 units monthly for the past six months, Raja told Autocar Professional.

During the festive season, TKM recorded good growth especially in the north and western parts of the country and with the new models the company is bullish of maintaining the same sales graph as last year. In 2015-16, TKM sold a total of 128,494 passenger vehicles, down 9 percent year on year. In the April-September 2016 period, the company has sold 71,982 units, a YoY growth of 4.46 percent. The new Fortuner is expected to give the company more wind in its sails.