The Tata Indigo eCS was India’s first compact sedan and is more than just another car for Tata. The Dzire became more awkward looking when it became a compact sedan but there was no stopping it from becoming an instant hit. It manages around 10,000 units a month which is more than decent for a car which does not look good. Now from what we hear, the world’s highest selling car brand, Toyota is all set to enter the compact sedan market.
The rumour mill has just reported that the Japanese will be bringing in an Etios compact sedan sometime in 2013 to give competition to the Honda Amaze , upcoming sub 4 meter Verito and Manza CS. The Etios compact sedan will be placed below the Etios sedan and to keep the duties in check , its one of the major USPs , boot will be chopped off. Honda has showed that you can make the car a looker and at the same time , keep the length under 4 meters and the Japanese will be hoping to make this car a decent looker.
It is expected to have the interior space of Liva which has a shorter wheelbase than the Etios sedan. It makes sense that it have the dimensions of the Liva as it would look proportionate if the boot is attached to it , rather than the boot being chopped off from the Etios sedan. The tax benefit which the company will be served with due to keeping the car under 4 meters will be passed on to the buyer in the form of a car which would sell at a price of Rs.50,000 to Rs.60,000 less than the Etios sedan.
The engine options are believed to be both petrol and diesel. While petrol could either be a 1.2 litre– 80 BHP motor or a 1.5 litre-90 BHP one, the diesel will be a 1.4 litre 67 BHP motor which gives great drivability in and around the city with being fuel efficient at the same time. The name Toyota gives you a sense of reliability and shouts out cheap maintenance and bulletproof engines. So if they manage to squeeze the Etios into a compact sedan, we might have a car that looks better than the current segment leader and have a Toyota sedan in the driveway of a common man.
via – Zigwheels