Fortuner turns Toyota's fortune in India

The auto-industry's slowdown seems to have no effect on the Toyota Fortuner, as the car continues to see an increasing demand in India. While other manufacturers are struggling to pitch their cars, Toyota seems to have no problem in selling the SUV. The car has seen an increase of 12 per cent increase in sales during  2013 April-November as compared to same period last year.

Since the Union Budget was declared, India’s SUV market has been severely affected by the increase in the taxes on big vehicles. According to the latest sales chart,the Indian utility vehicle market saw a fourper cent decline in the April-November period compared to the previous year. On the other hand, Fortuner sold 11,416 units this year as compared last year’s 10,193 units in the above given period."We have been able to maintain the demand momentum for Fortuner since its launch and managed to further increase it this year," Sandeep Singh, COO, marketing and commercial at Toyota Kirloskar Motors, told The Economic Times.

Being sold since August 2009, Fortuner is a premium SUV favoured in the Indian market for its butch looks and the Toyota image. It faces competition from the likes of Ford Endeavour, Mahindra Rexton, Chevrolet Captiva, Hyundai Santa-Fe. Apart from the Toyota, Honda CR-V and Mahindra Rexton were the other SUVs in the Rs 15-25 lakh price range to experience increased sales.