Toyota sells 1,639 cars in India during lockdown; sees surge in online enquiries

Toyota Kirloskar Motor says that the number of units sold was just 20 per cent of what the company could have achieved had all its dealerships being open in India.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has managed to sell 1,639 vehicles in India during the lockdown. The number is obviously less than what the company sold last year in the same month. To give you an exact idea, last year 12,138 cars were sold and these including close to exports of 1,000 units of the now-defunct Etios sedan. TKM says that only 20 per cent vehicles were sold in May 2020 because of the lower production, lockdown situation and not too many dealerships operational. The company though says that there has been a surge in online enquiries and bookings. While more than 60 per cent TKM dealerships were open in May 2020, these weren’t in major cities. Hence, the lower sales number. The company though is happy to report that dealer inventory has gone down. Calling it retail sales wherein a dealer sells to the customer compared to the wholesales numbers that TKM sends to a showroom, the company says this has infused cash flow.

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At present, TKM sells the Toyota Innova Crysta, Fortuner, Yaris and Camry models in India. There is also the Maruti Suzuki Baleno rebadged Toyota Glanza. TKM also sells the Toyota Vellfire MPV that comes in as a CBU. Presently, the Toyota Innova Crysta is helping contribute to the sales to a great extent. In the near future, the Toyota Urban Cruiser SUV will be launched in India. As part of the Toyota-Suzuki agreement, this is the rebadged Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. Dispatches of the Brezza have already left the Manesar plant according to a recent report. While TKM hasn’t confirmed the name yet, a patent on the name was registered last year in India leading to speculations that this will be the final one. The Toyota Urban Cruiser will come with a 1.5-litre petrol engine and a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions. The latter will be a mild-hybrid as well.

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