New Toyota Fortuner returns in fresh spy shots; expected launch, price and more

A fresh batch of spy shots of the new Toyota Fortuner have started doing the rounds on the internet, indicating that the launch of the SUV in India is not too far off. Toyota is likely to speed up the process of launching its much-awaited new avatar of the Fortuner in the country as the Supreme Court lifted the diesel ban in Delhi and NCR.

Toyota had earlier put the investment in the country on hold when the diesel ban was in force in Delhi and NCR. For Toyota, this region is a crucial market and the company is said to have incurred huge losses because of the ban of registration of diesel vehicles above 2,000cc.

Coming back to the spy shots, the heavily camouflaged test mule of the Fortuner was snapped by Team BHP member in Bengaluru. Although the spy shots do not reveal anything new, the repeated sightings of the model tell us that the work on the new Fortuner is going on rapidly. The new Fortuner, which is already being sold in a few international markets like Thailand, South Africa and Australia, is expected to make its India entry towards the end of this year or early 2017. In India, it will be manufactured at the company's plant in Karnataka and will rival Chevrolet Trailblazer, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Ford Endeavour.

The new Fortuner measures 4,795mm in length, 1,855mm in width, 1,835mm in height and 2,750mm in wheelbase. In the international markets, the SUV is powered by 2.4-litre GD and 2.8-litre GD diesel engines. While the 2.4-litre 2GD-FTV diesel unit develops 148bhp and 400Nm of torque, the 2.8-litre 1GD-FTV unit churns out 175bhp and 450Nm of torque. The transmission is handled by a six-speed manual and automatic gearbox.

On the pricing front, the SUV expected to be priced at about Rs. 28 lakh in India.