Toyota to bring Land Cruiser Diesel & Toyota Lexus in India

Toyota is planning to bring diesel variants of the Land Cruiser and intends to import its model Lexus in the country. However, details of the launch of imported Lexus was not disclosed so far. Land Cruiser is likely to be priced around Rs. 80 lakh and will be pitted against Audi Q7, BMW X5 and Mercedes M-Class models in its segment. The company is aiming to rise its production to full capacity by July 2009. Land Cruiser LC200 in June 2009 and SUV Fortuner in September 2009 will be the two new models added. Land Cruiser will be imported as completely built unit which may priced higher on account of heavy duty structure. The diesel model will be powered by a 4 liter, V8 diesel engine which pumps out 286PS of peak power at 3600rpm and a massive 650Nm of torque at 1600rpm. It will also feature a 6-speed automatic transmission and 4WD (four wheel drive).  Toyota Fortuner will be imported as completely knocked down unit and will be assembled in India which may lend an option to the company to place the model competitively in the market.