Putting an end to months of speculations and rumours, Toyota's premium brand Lexus is finally set to make its foray into the Indian market next year. Toyota has been mulling over the launch of Lexus in the Indian market for quite a long time now and the latest reports on the web indicate that the decisions on the brand's entry into the market have been made and the process is likely to begin shortly.
According to a report of AutoCar India, the focus of the brand is likely to be hybrid models as they benefit from the FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of hybrid and Electric vehicles) scheme and lower import duties, which would help to keep the car price in check.
Toyota had earlier put the plans of bringing the Lexus to India on hold due to the high custom duties and various other reasons. Toyota is now said be planning to bring the Lexus offering as completely built units (CBU), which would naturally attract heavy import tax.
It was reported earlier that Toyota could set up separate sales network for its Lexus premium offerings in India, something similar to the Nexa premium dealership chains o Maruti Suzuki. Apparently, only the existing dealers of Toyota stand a chance to bag the newly planned dealerships of Lexus. Lexus' international portfolio includes both petrol and diesel engine models.
Toyota is also said to be planning to bring its Daihatsu small cars to the Indian market to take on the popularity of small cars from the house of Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai.
