Toyota Prius is the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle.
Company has cited economic condition worldwide, infrastructure issues, a steep duty structutre as some issues for delaying the car launch.
However the recent major price cut but Toyota arch rival Honda on it Civic Hybrid is also cited as the reason for delaying of Prius in the Indian market.
Recently Honda has slashed price of Civic Hybrid by Rs. 8 Lakh and thus making it very affordable in India having a price tag of Rs. 13.36 Lakh.However Honda has now closed the special price offer on Civic Hybrid.
Toyota and Honda are the leading manufacturers of hybrid vehicles globally, and Toyota Prius (launched 11 years ago) is the market leader.
The hybrid cars, which use both petrol engine and electric motor, are fuel-efficient and have lower emission levels, making them environment-friendly.
Toyota’s Indian arm, which does not have the required manufacturing infrastructure to roll out hybrid cars, is unsure of the initial volumes and feels that the Indian market is not yet ready for such cars.
Toyota was looking to launch Prius Hybrid car in 2009 at Rs 20-22 lakh.
Toyota Kirloskar, a joint venture between the Japanese company and Kirloskar Motors, was planning to import Prius as a CBU (completely-built-up units), as low volumes would make local manufacturing of the model unviable.
Worldwide cumulative sales of Prius in May 2008 crossed a million units. While Toyota chose to use a totally new brand name for its hybrid car, Honda elected to offer hybrid versions of its popular models such as Accord and Civic. Environmental concerns (and rising gasoline prices in the US) have spurred the sales of these greener cars.
1 comment:
very nice blog with luxury car
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