Next-gen Toyota Vios to be sold in India as Honda City rival, launch in 2018

Toyota Kirloskar Motor India's sedan portfolio includes the Etios, Corolla Altis and Camry. The line-up indicates a vacant slot between Etios and Corolla Altis. The Japanese company is all set to fill the gap with the next generation Vios reports Livemint.

The report further says the next generation of the Vios sedan is being developed by Toyota Motor Asia Pacific in Thailand, with Indian specifications in mind. The midsize sedan in India will go up against the likes of Honda City and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz.

The new generation Vios is expected to reach Indian shores in January 2018 and will be powered by a 1.6-litre petrol and a 1.6-litre diesel engine. The cars are likely to import from Thailand as completely knocked down unit (CKD) and will be assembled at Toyota India's manufacturing facility in Bangalore.

An industry source told Livemint that Toyota aimed to sell only 25,000 units in India in the beginning but it revised sales figures to 65,000 units a year.

According to Japanese news agency Nikkei in July 2015, Toyota India had plans to shelve the Etios brand by 2020. The move is because of the fall in demand for the sedan. According Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), sales of Etios fell 14% during 2014-15.

The Etios range that includes Liva hatchback, Etios sedan and Etios Cross haven't got a positive response like Innova MPV of the manufacturer. The sales never took off right from the launch in 2010 for Etios, a car which was designed for India.