Toyota Avanza Could Soon Hit Indian Shores (Upcoming Cars)

WHEN: Early 2013

HOW MUCH: Rs 6-7 lakhs

ENGINES: 1.5 litre, 4 cylinder, petrol, 103 PS and 1.4 litres, 4 cylinder, diesel, 68PS

COMPETITION: Mauti Suzuki Ertiga, Mahindra Xylo and Chevrolet Tavera

The rumours are ripe that Toyota is planning to soon launch the Avanza in India.  Toyota Avanza will be positioned just below Toyota Innova and with an expected price bracket of Rs 6-7 lakhs should provide stiff competition to Mauti Suzuki Ertiga, Mahindra Xylo and Chevrolet Tavera.

This Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) is presently manufactured by Astra Daihatsu in Indonesia, First Automobile Works (FAW) in China and assembled at Perodua in Malaysia. According to industry reports, the Toyota Avanza is doing very well in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. In addition to these countries, the Toyota Avanza is also sold in Brunei, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Lebanon, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa and Sri Lanka. In some of the countries it is sold as the Xenia while in the rest it is labeled as the Avanza.

Toyota might power the Avanza by the same 1495cc petrol engine that is presently being used in Malaysia and Thailand. The 1.5 litre petrol 4 cylinders in-line, 16 valve DOHC, chain drive engine comes with equipped with VVT-i technology. It produces 103 PS of maximum power at 6,000 rpm and generates a peak torque of 136 Nm at 4,400 rpm. The models sold in Malaysia is a 4-speed automatic but the Indian model is expected to have a 5-speed manual transmission.

With the steady escalation in petrol prices and the growing demand for diesel cars, Toyota might also launch a diesel variant of the Avanza. In that case, Toyota might just decide to use the Etios 1.4 litre diesel engine to power the Avanza diesel which churns out 68PS of maximum power at 3800 rpm and produces a peak torque of 170 Nm at 1800-2400 rpm. 

Although, we are yet to get an official confirmation on the launch date, however, an early 2013 launch looks very much on the cards.