Toyota’s all-new Etios to get better styling

Toyota’s Etios has been a sluggish seller in the Indian market, while there might be several reasons for its low sales, in terms of styling, the car was left trailing behind by the competition. Now, the world’s number one car manufacturer is working on an all-new Etios and major emphasis will be on styling.

Let’s face it, the Etios would have never won any award for its design and it does look a little outdated among the current crop of modern sedans. This undoubtedly had to be addressed by Toyota if they had to keep the Etios and they are considering a whole lot of improvements in the upcoming Etios by mid 2015. 

A report in Autocar claims the car will be completely new and will bear very less resemblance to the current car. Toyota is also looking at different body styles for the new Etios and a mini SUV might be into consideration as well. 

The Etios competes with the Maruti Swift Dzire, Honda Amaze, Chevrolet Sail sedan and the Mahindra Verito. The car is priced at Rs 5.39 lakh to Rs 8.08 lakh (Ex-Showroom Delhi) and has two engine options, a petrol and a diesel. 

Hisayuki Inoue, CEO Asia-Pacific operations, Toyota says, “Design is one issue and you will see that the new version will have a much better design.” Inoue added that they are studying customer and market preference before making any changes. 

The Etios with reliable mechanicals and decent fuel efficieny figures, and with a Toyota badge only managed to tickle the sales figures. But, this time around the Japanese car major will hope to give it a new lease of life and there is a prospect of an Etios with a sub-four metre design as well.

Source: Autocar