Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Toyota Fortuner costs a fortune, and then some more

Toyota's new sport utility vehicle (SUV), the Fortuner, which comes at a price tag of Rs 21 lakh, has been getting a good response from the market. As a result of the six-month waiting period required to buy the vehicle, dealers are charging a premium of Rs 4 lakh for a quick delivery. CNBC-TV18’s Sumantra Barooah.

Sources in the car industry say Toyota’s Fortuner is commanding as much as a premium of Rs 4 lakh to its existing price.

Interestingly, Toyota does not approve of the increased price. When contacted, a senior Toyota official said the company would terminate the dealership of any outlet found guilty of the practice. There are also some reports of bogus customers who buy the car in their name and sell it at a premium. The Toyota executive admitted that the company has got reports of such activities but added there was little the company could do about it.

Toyota plans to ramp up its production volume from the current level of about 600 to 700 in November. Post that, it would take a call on whether a further increase is called for.

The current worldwide production volume for Toyota stands at 68,000 units — the company is planning to hike it up to 75,000 units to meet the increased demand.

Source: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/cnbc-tv18-comments/toyota-fortuner-costsfortunethen-some-more_418020.html

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Toyota Fortuner executes Bluetooth-enabled campaign

The recently-launched SUV Toyota Fortuner has come up with a Bluetooth campaign in Delhi, Cochin, Mumbai and Hyderabad airports. The campaign that started early September would continue till the month-end. The product displayed in the airports has been Bluetooth-enabled which provides rich content and relevant information about the vehicle to the passengers waiting in the lounge.

The campaign is created and executed by Telibrahma, a Bangalore-based Bluetooth solution provider.

The Bluetooth-enabled campaign for Toyota Fortuner at Delhi airport

The Bluetooth-enabled campaign for Toyota Fortuner at Delhi airport
“This is a high-end vehicle with superior technology. Normally, promoters fail to communicate properly about the vehicle to the target audience with just car displays in airports. This is the fundamental challenge in automobile industry today. Besides, it also costs a good amount of money which might not give the required ROI to the advertiser. So what we have tried to do is to help the automobile company with a solution that would give him value for investment,” said Suresh Narasimha, founder and CEO of Telibrahma.

This is the first time that rich content has been used which provides both video-like experience as well as interactivity. The activity would enable waiting passengers to visualise different colours of the vehicle and also get relevant information about the vehicle, dealers, and their contact details using mobile handsets.

“We have tried to do this for the first time so far as the automobile sector is concerned. In fact, no one has done such a campaign at airports so far. We are eagerly awaiting the results of how many people accessed and downloaded the content. This was a good option as all information was available to the consumer at their convenience. In airports, there are restrictions as no one can stand and provide information to the consumer, therefore this new concept has a lot of relevance. We plan to go for more such campaigns in future as well because this is something new and innovative as well as engaging with the audience,” said a Toyota company spokesperson.

The activity can also be made available to passengers using GPRS by sending an SMS to the number displayed on the banner. While Bluetooth would be available free of cost, there would be charges applicable for GPRS.

Source: http://www.network2media.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=988:toyota-fortuner-executes-bluetooth-enabled-campaign&catid=5:news&Itemid=3

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Toyota ‘FORTUNER’ Registers Record High Bookings

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (TKM) today announced that it had received a record 5000 bookings of the Fortuner in just over a month. TKM is trying to ramp up monthly production figures from 500 to 600 units to meet high customer demand and is also planning to sell 2500 units of the Fortuner during 2009 versus the earlier announced target of 2000 units. As of now, TKM dealers have been advised to take customer orders without advance payments, while committing to a tentative date of delivery.


TKM performance in August 2009:
TKM announced a 35 % growth in overall sales in August 2009 over the same month last year. The Corolla Altis has registered a 91% rise in sales for January-August 2009 as against the corresponding period last year, thus reinforcing its market leadership position.

Commenting on the record bookings received for Fortuner and on the growth in sales in August ’09, Mr. Sandeep Singh, Deputy Managing Director (Marketing), TKM said, “TKM would like to thank its customers for reposing their faith in Toyota products and will continue to strive to achieve enhanced customer satisfaction.”

TKM is also considering a price increase in Corolla Altis and Innova due to rising input costs and fluctuation in exchange rates.

For details, please refer to http://www.toyotabharat.com/

Source: http://www.pr-inside.com/toyota-fortuner-registers-record-r1470082.htm

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

New Toyota Fortuner 2009

The Much Awaited SUV from Toyota’s stable is all set to roll out in India. The Toyota Fortuner which has kept the Indian market waiting for quite sometime now would be screaming through the Indian terrain by this year end. This one would be the face lifted version which was recently launched in Malaysia & it would for sure be a treat to drive. Built on the IMV platform as the Innova & Hilux, it would be assembled in India at its Bidadi factory in Bangalore. This would result in an aggressive pricing to compete with CRV & the Captiva. It would be available in 2.7V Petrol & 2.5G Diesel variants. The petrol version would have 4-cylinder, in-line 16-valve, DOHC, VVT-i engine where-as the diesel one would have DOHC Turbo diesel. Both the variants would come with only auto transmission in its 2009 face lifted version.

Some of the key features would be:

1. New projector headlamps and fascia,
2. New rear lights
3. DVD Navigation system
4. Blue-tooth connectivity
5. New light sand interior
6. Electronic-adjustable driver seat,
7. Rear cool air conditioning from ceiling for second and third row
8. Vehicle Stability Control with Traction Control
9. Electronic Brake Force Distribution with Brake Assist
10. All Wheel Drive (AWD)
11. Redesigned front grille and Headlamps lamps

Source: http://www.iwebie.com/toyota-fortuner-2009

Friday, August 28, 2009

Toyota ‘FORTUNER’ launched in India

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (TKM) today announced the launch of the Toyota FORTUNER, in India.

The internationally acclaimed FORTUNER, which offers an unmatched combination of power and luxury supported by cutting-edge technology, was unveiled in New Delhi today by Mr. Akira Okabe (Senior Managing Director, TMC), Mr. Vikram Kirloskar (Vice-Chairman, TKM), Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa (MD, TKM), Mr. Kaoru Hosokawa (Chief Engineer, TMC) and Mr. Sandeep Singh (DMD, Marketing, TKM).
Available with 5 speed manual transmission, the FORTUNER not only offers unshakeable sturdiness with high ground clearance, long wheelbase, full-time 4WD and excellent drivability on all terrains, but is also loaded with comfort features like Climate Control AC, Optitron meter, Multi-information display, steering control switches, Space-up type 3rd row seats and leather interiors.

The exquisite bodyline and sporty exteriors of FORTUNER are further accentuated by attractive roof rails, rear spoiler, side steps & bonnet scoop. The spacious and comfortable interiors give FORTUNER an unparalleled edge over other SUVs in its segment.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Akira Okabe (Senior Managing Director, TMC) said, “We are delighted to introduce Toyota FORTUNER in the Indian market. Globally, FORTUNER has already sold over 2,50,000 units in more than 60 countries since its launch in 2005. The launch of FORTUNER today is an expression of Toyota’s commitment to provide best in class quality and technology to our customers in India.”

Added Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa (Managing Director, TKM), “We’re very proud to finally bring FORTUNER to India. The sleek yet rugged FORTUNER delivers superior performance and excellent luxury for Indian customers. We would also like to thank our customers for the extremely encouraging response to the initial announcement of this launch.”

Mr. Kaoru Hosokawa (Chief Engineer, TMC) said, “Toyota’s FORTUNER is fully loaded with advanced features and has been extensively tested to suit Indian conditions. The powerful Common Rail type 3.0 L D-4D Diesel engine with Intercooler Turbocharger delivers superior power and performance.”

Mr. Sandeep Singh (DMD, Marketing, TKM) added “The SUV market in India has witnessed extensive growth due to launches in Mid/Premium SUV segment. We expect that the launch of the FORTUNER will expand the mid-SUV market in India. The FORTUNER will be very competitively priced at Rs 18.45 lakhs ex-showroom New Delhi. We will also implement a focused marketing campaign (including TV, print, magazines, hoardings, direct marketing, internet marketing and SMS) targeted at enhancing the awareness of advanced technology features amongst our Indian customers.”