Toyota to stop selling small diesel cars in India after BSVI shift
Toyota Kirloskar Motor has stated that the company will stop selling diesel versions of its small cars in India once the BSVI norms come into effect in April 2020. This comes after a similar move by other carmakers including Maruti Suzuki, Renault and Volkswagen.
Converting diesel engines to meet BSVI norms requires the addition of quite a few components to the exhaust system, which you can read about here. This is expected to shore up costs by 20 to 25 per cent in smaller-engined cars. This will dilute their lead of similar petrol-powered cars in terms of being a more viable long-term purchase.
This means that the 1.4-litre diesel-engined versions of cars like the Etios, Etios Liva, Etios Cross and Corolla Altis will no longer be available. Another reason for Toyota to not invest in upgrading these cars is that the Etios range is at the end of its life cycle and has been replaced to an extent with the Glanza. More Suzuki-sourced products will eventually fill this space for Toyota. The Corolla Altis' segment, on the other hand, has shrunk quite a bit in the last few years given the rising buyer preference towards SUVs. Also, globally Toyota is now focussing on hybrid propulsion for the Corolla line-up.
As for its bestsellers in India, the Fortuner SUV and Innova Crysta MPV, those will continue with their diesel engines. They are priced between Rs 27 lakh and 15 lakh onwards, which makes it easier for the added cost of upgrading to BSVI easier to absorb.
Source: ETAuto
