Toyota Corolla Altis diesel to be launch in India by July 2010

The diesel version of Toyota Corolla Altis, which was earlier expected to be launched in India in August 2010, is now reported to be coming one month earlier than its scheduled launch time, as demand for diesel run premium sedans is witnessing an upward shift in the country.  A senior official of the company was quoted as saying that the company is looking at launching the diesel version of Corolla Altis by July and all the details will be shared once the model is introduced.

As the Indian auto industry is growing rapidly, Toyota Motors is eying on making the most of this high growth potential by launching new models as well as variants of existing models in the Indian market. Once launched in India, the model will have an edge over its major competitor Honda Civic which is available only in the diesel version in the Indian market.

The new Toyota Corolla Altis will be loaded with a 1.4L, common-rail turbo diesel engine with a 6-speed gearbox which is capable of producing maximum power of 90bhp . Some news reports have also claimed that the Toyota Corolla Altis diesel has already been tested by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), and according to this test, the diesel-powered Corolla Altis will deliver an exceptional mileage of 21.42 km/l. If these reports to be believed, Corolla Altis (diesel) will be the most fuel efficient car in the premium sedan segment in India. The diesel version of this car is expected to be priced at about Rs 75,000 to 1,25,000 more than its petrol counterpart in India.

Toyota India sold a total of 55,000 units of its cars in the Indian market and aims to take this figure to 70,000 in the current year. The company is expecting a high sales figure for the Etios model in the Indian market and expects that its sales will be doubled to 1,40,000 units in India, by 2011.

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