Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) sells a wide range of passenger vehicles, right from the pocket-friendly Etios Liva to the V8-powered Land Cruiser. With the exception of Glanza (petrol only), Yaris (petrol only), Camry (hybrid) and the Prius (hybrid), all other models have at least one diesel variant on sale in India. With the mandate deadline of transitioning from BSIV to BS6 fast approaching, the company has announced that it will continue to sell diesel-powered models beyond March 31, 2020.

The plan is in place despite the fact that prices of BS6-ready diesel models will be noticeably higher than their BSIV versions. The company feels that even hiked prices, the demand for diesel models will remain in the BS6 era. That being said, TKM will also keep a close eye on how cleaner technologies, such a hybrid, fuel cell and battery electric vehicles, are being accepted in the country. Since Toyota already sells vehicles with those technologies in several markets around the globe, their introduction in India, if need be, shouldn’t take long.

The company has already invested in a plant in India to upgrade its diesel engines to meet the stricter emission norms under BS6. What remains to be seen is whether it will carry forward all its diesel engines or not. The Fortuner and the Innova Crysta are currently available with two diesel engines – 2.4-litre and 2.8-litre. Both these models bring home bread-and-butter for the carmaker in India. Even though they are available in petrol variants as well, their current diesel-petrol sales ratio is 82:18. It is safe to say that the aforementioned mills will be upgraded.

Toyota is one carmaker that has continuously rooted for hybrid vehicles for India. And it will continue to do so. The Japanese brand rightfully feels that the jump from conventionally-powered vehicles to those which produce zero emissions is a big one for a country as vast and as price-sensitive as India. Hybrid vehicles, such as the Camry and the Prius, fit the transition phase quite well. They have a two-engine set up – an electric motor coupled with a petrol engine. Since these vehicles can run on pure electricity and produce no emissions for several kilometres, their per kilometre CO2 emissions are way less than comparable vehicles featuring internal combustion engines only.

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Source: PTI