Toyota India invites bids for its small car project in India from auto component vendors

Here's a sign that the small car project from Toyota India is moving fast and a lot of groundwork is being done for the project,we may soon see the small car soon from Toyota followed by a sedan on the same platform.Though there may also be a possibility the sedan comes before the hatch in order to reduce costs for the hatch.Although earlier a similar exercise was carried out more to check the feasibility of the product this time vendors are confident that the project will indeed finalize

For certain categories such as lamps and batteries, Toyota would finalise its vendors by next month or latest by November. However, for other products such as engine transmission, the company is expected to take a decision by the end of the year or beginning of next year.

“Usually the time gap between products like bulbs and other products is between 1-3 months. Considering this, Toyota should finalise its vendors in the coming few months,” said a vendor who has submitted the bid for some of the company’s products some time ago and expects a decision by next month.

Toyota Motor Corporation Board Chairman, Mr Fujio Cho, had said in August that the company’s small car was likely to be launched by 2009.

He had also said that India was being considered among the several countries from where the company would debut its small car.

TKM, the joint venture company of Toyota and Kirloskar Motors, is looking to grab 15 per cent of the passenger vehicles market in India by 2015 from its current 3.7 per cent.

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