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| Toyota to launch hybrid car 'Prius' in India |
| Trideep Lahkar/PTI / Tokyo Oct 21, 2009, 16:12 IST |
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The world's largest car maker, Toyota, today said it will launch its hybrid car 'Prius' in India early next year.
"We will be introducing our hybrid car (in India) sometime in the beginning of next year and it will be Prius," Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) Vice-Chairman Kazuo Okamoto told a group of visiting Indian journalists here.
He, however, said there are no plans yet to bring in a hybrid small car. Toyota is planning to launch a small car in the Indian market in 2011.
"We are not at all thinking about a hybrid small car right now. However, in future it is possible but nothing has been decided," Okamoto said.
Prius is the highest selling hybrid model of TMC with a cumulative global sale of over 1.4 million units since 2000. The company had first ventured into hybrid vehicle segment in 1997 and in August this year surpassed the two million mark in overall global sales.
TMC's Project General Manager (Research and Development Management Division) Yutaka Matsumoto had earlier said the company is working on a number of models including bio-fule, natural gas and hydrogen vehicles as part of its global strategy to grow in the alternative technology market.
The company would soon start leasing about 500 units of Prius with lithium-ion battery in Japan, US and the European Union countries.
Matsumoto had also said that TMC would be setting up a new battery research department as part of its efforts to accelerate R&D activities for modern and efficient battery.
TMC currently has over a dozen hybrid models in its portfolio including, Prius, Camry, Highlander, Lexus, Crown, Estima and Harrier.
Toyota is present in India through a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group and sells various model such as Corolla Altis, Camry and Innova.
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