Toyota could considering launching the RAV4 premium SUV in the near future to rival models like Jeep Compass, Hyundai Tucson and others
There is no secret that the Indian automotive industry is witnessing a sharp spike in the sales volumes of the sports utility vehicles compared to any other body types. The sub-four-metre, mid-size and C-segment SUVs are the prime examples as over the last three years, a number of manufacturers have tried their hands on them in a hope to grab a big pie in each of them.
While some have succeeded, others could not make the cut. The new entrants MG Motor and Kia have laid their foundation on their first products, the Hector and the Seltos respectively, and over the last calendar year they managed to garner appreciable sales tally. The Seltos, in particular, beat Hyundai Creta to sit on top of the monthly sales table in the mid-size SUV space.
Keenly observing their strategies, the established carmakers in India are stepping up to the plate or at least showing intentions of doing so. Naveen Soni, Senior VP – Sales & Service, Toyota Kirloskar Motor stated in a recent interview that his brand is closely studying the market scenarios and a notable increase in customers preferring the C-segment SUVs has been found.
The prospective buyers are opting to choose the SUVs over the sedans and considering the evolving market requirements, Toyota will decide on “…further course of action,”. The Japanese auto major discontinued a slew of volume-based models such as Etios, Liva and Corolla Altis due to BSVI emission standards coming into effect, leaving the Yaris and Glanza in the accessible space.
With Toyota admitting that the C-SUVs are popular over the C-segment sedans, we could see the globally popular RA4 entering the market in the near future. The fifth generation RAV4 is based on the TNGA architecture and it could be brought in taking advantages of the import relaxations initially before the brand considering localisation but nothing has been made official yet.
The RAV4 is sold with a 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre petrol engines along with a hybrid powertrain. Besides the RAV4, Toyota could also consider the C-HR for India. However, in the immediate future, Toyota will be looking to launch the rebadged version of Maruti Suzuki models as the compact SUV based on the Vitara Brezza is expected to arrive in the coming months.