In spite of being more expensive than models like the Marazzo, the Toyota Innova Crysta has been losing out on its popularity due to a number of reasons
The Toyota Innova Crysta enjoys an almost cult-like status in India. The premium MPV, which costs Rs 15.36 – 23.02 Lakh (ex-showroom), has been instrumental in helping the local subsidiary of Toyota establish itself well in the market.
However, a look at the car sales figures from FY19-20 reveals that the Toyota Innova Crysta has suffered a huge 31 per cent dip in its popularity. The premium MPV sold 77,924 units in FY18-19 but sales dropped to 53,686 units in the last financial year. A dip as big as this surely comes as a surprise if you see that the Crysta doesn’t have any direct challenger to speak of.
Its nearest rivals include the Kia Carnival and the Mahindra Marazzo. While the former costs Rs 24.95 lakh to 33.95 lakh*, the latter is priced from Rs 9.99 to 14.76 Lakh*. From this, it’s quite clear that the Toyota Innova Crysta doesn’t have any direct rival to speak of. Also, the Marazzo has so far been selling in low numbers, while the Carnival has been launched only recently. Hence, in no way would either of these have had much of an impact on the sales of the Crysta.
That said, one big reason for the drop in the popularity could be the prolonged sales slowdown that the company has been suffering from. The drop in sales have pretty much affect all car models on sale in the country and the Innova Crysta hasn’t been immune to this phase of sluggish sales. To make matters worse, the ongoing pandemic further impact the sales in the last month of the previous financial year.
In January 2020, the Toyota Innova Crysta received its quintessential BS6 update. With this, prices of the MPV were hiked by Rs 23,000 for the petrol variant and Rs 1.12 lakh for the diesel model. Also, the company made some important changes to the variant lineup of its hot-selling MPV.
With the introduction of the BSVI model, the Toyota Innova Crysta is no longer available with the 2.8-litre diesel automatic model. Now, the MPV is on sale only with updated 2.4-litre diesel and 2.7-litre petrol motors. Both the engines are available with manual and automatic transmission options.
*all prices are ex-showroom, New Delhi