Will Toyota Etios Liva live?

Ok! So the Toyota Etios Liva is finally here after it was first showcased at the 2010 Auto Expo. This is not the first time we are witnessing platform sharing within a company. Actually most manufacturers do this, but what they do is strap on a boot to an existing hatchback in order to increase its appeal to a wider customer base. For e.g. Swift Dzire is an extended Swift, Manza an extended Indica Vista and Vento an extended Polo. What sets the Liva apart from the rest is the fact that it is actually a shortened Etios. Yes “it can be done” is the message Toyota is trying to spread to others.
The Etios faced tough criticism for not having a diesel engine option which seems to be pretty much the norm these days. However Toyota proved everybody wrong by registering good sales figures which have been climbing steadily. For instance, the Etios sedan sold 3,412 and 5,002 units in May and June 2011 respectively. In fact the response for the car was so good that there exists a wait period for the same.
The Liva is targeted at the small car segment which in India happens to be the highest sales generator. The segment is however flooded with cars from each manufacturer. Maruti, the segment leader alone has five cars here, each of which generates big numbers. So it’s not an easy task at hand for Toyota to shake this segment.
Launched last month at a starting price of Rs. 3.99 lakh for the base model, the Liva is priced very attractively for the petrol hatchback segment. Toyota has always been associated with quality and the Liva is no exception. What the Liva will do is make this quality available to a larger number of people who until now found it out of their reach. The ARAI claimed figure for the car is an impressive 18.3 kmpl. Toyota is offering a three year or 1 lakh km warranty on the Liva and this only goes to show the quality of the product. A diesel option is sorely missed right now but will soon join the brigade making the Liva an even more appealing car.
For now all we can do is wait and watch as to how the Liva fares in the extremely competitive Indian market. Does it steal the throne from Maruti or does it succumb to customer ignorance? Only time will tell…