TOKYO, May 25 (Kyodo) — Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday its cumulative sales of the Etios series surpassed 100,000 units in India on Tuesday, with the relatively low-priced vehicles gaining popularity in the major emerging market.
Since the launch of the Etios sedan in December 2010, the Japanese automaker has added the Etios Liva hatchback to the lineup and diesel variants of both models in 2011.
The series' sales from January to April were about 28,500 units, up 160 percent from a year before, it said.
Toyota also said it plans to launch eight compact cars specifically targeting emerging economies, including the Etios, and achieve a target of selling more than 1 million units annually in over 100 countries by 2015.
The company plans to release the eight models in countries such as China, and members of the Association of South East Asian Nations, and they will be priced at around 1 million yen or above, Toyota officials said.
Under its so-called Global Vision, Toyota will boost its Indian output capacity from the current 210,000 units a year to 310,000 units in 2013. It will also open a new plant in Brazil later this year as part of focus on compact cars, it said.
