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Posts tagged Toyota
Auto companies effected with supply chain disruptions
Mar 15th
Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Suzuki who were planning aggressive strategies for India’s top growth market were hit hard by Japan’s quake and face serious supply chain disruptions.
The only silver lining is India’s relatively small dependence on Japan. Auto experts said higher levels of localization levels and cost concerns prompting most Japanese car makers to import from Thailand would help the Indian subsidiaries.
Maruti Suzuki’s Hamamatsu plant has not been affected and the parent is using the Nagoya airport for air freight. Still, Maruti imports a number of components from Japan, and the problem gets worse as a number of its Indian vendors, too, source from the tsunami-battered country.
The Japanese auto industry has been severely impacted by the national tragedy. Honda has suspended production at all the Japanese plants till March 20 and is in touch with its vendors for exact damage assessment.
Toyota’s Indian unit, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, postponed the opening ceremony of its second plant scheduled for this week.
TOYOTA launching PRIUS in 2010?
Nov 12th
Toyota is all set to unveil Toyota Prius hybrid in India at the 2010 Auto Expo in Delhi next January. The Prius is one of the world’s best known and also best selling hybrid passenger car and the version Toyota intends to sell in the country would be the latest generation model which was launched as recently as May 2009 in Japan and has also been a raging hit in this ecoconscious motoring mad nation.
The Prius hybrid will compete in the same segment which is seeing intense action with the likes of the Suzuki Swift and Ritz ranged against the Fiat Grande Puntos and the Tata Indica Vista, the Hyundai i20s and the Honda Jazz plus the range of high profile newcomers expected in the form of the Nissan Micra / March, the Volkswagen Polo and the Ford Figo.
