<p>Toyota, globally the largest manufacturer of automobiles, entered India via a joint venture with Kirloskar Group. The first launch was Qualis which was an instant hit. Qualis boasted of &ldquo;Car-Like&rdquo; driving experience, which was quite opposite to what its chief competitors offered. Also Qualis has better feel to it, as if it was made keeping in mind passenger comfort. When Qualis was discontinued, it was yet to achieve its peak. Even today Qualis does command quite a bit of value in used car market. Qualis quickly made Indians aware of what Toyota stands for : reliability and longetivity along with low long term ownership costs. Toyota replaced Qualis with Innova and even after a decade of successful run, Innova manages to sell in good numbers. Corolla, a premium sedan by Toyota also dominates its segment. Generally not known to make errors and play in a rather safe way, Toyota failed to understand what the majority of car buyers in India need, which was the result of poor sales by Etios twins. However, off late, considering the core Toyota traits, Etios twins are holding on to good value and do offer lower running costs over longer period of time. Camry, its premium offering is priced high, but is acclaimed for its comfort and easy nature. Camry is also the largest selling car in United States of America. Toyota&rsquo;s Fortuner, a premium SUV, rules its segment too. Offering unmatched reliability and low maintenance costs for its segment, Fortuner has also received good success in India.Globally, Toyota is known for its fantastic offroaders, and they are available in India also, but as direct imports and hence very high cost. Not much to fault with, Toyota can certainly improve in offering lower purchase cost and even making product life cycles a bit shorter, especially in view of global players. Toyota has managed to position itself and a premium product, but if it wants to be a mass market player, a step of two faster would bring fantastic results. For long term ownership, Toyota is one of the best and the service experience is also amongst the best.</p>
