[vinair]

Toyota to launch the Hiace in India this year!! Now that's a people carrier you want to be driven in!!

Good move by Toyota!!

Toyota HiAce

Dimensions:
Length: 5,380 mm
Width: 1,880 mm
Height: 2,285 mm
Wheelbase: 3,110 mm

Engine: 1KD-FTV, Diesel
Displacement: 2,982 cc
Max power: 134 bhp @ 3,400 rpm
Max torque: 300 Nm @ 1200-2400 rpm

The HiAce will be a premium offering here, but is quite a popular cab in many markets, including the middle-east




Even the Fortuner will look like a compact SUV in front of the HiAce






Sliding door pulled all the way back










Variant badging


Stop lamp. Notice how the washer and wiper are placed on top






Open up the tail gate and set up camp underneath. Yes, it is genuinely that big!


Tail gate goes up pretty high so you need this to pull it down. Beware though, the tail gate is also very heavy, so it needs a little effort to get down


Ample amount of boot space, even with all 10 passengers aboard


Footboard to get in


A little light for the footboard


Three rows of two seats to the left and two rows of single seats at the right. Add the front driver and passenger to get 10 seats + storage space to boot




Rear AC vents




4 speed autobox and a minimalist centre console. Notice the Qualis-like handbrake lever to the bottom right. No Bluetooth connectivity and the sound system looks prehistoric

[Skyline GT-R]

If priced well, can the HiAce partially end the monopoly of Force Traveller in tour/call centre cab segment?

[PCS]

More than cabs... I would personally like to see this as customed personal vehicle, it would look awesome.... Something like the one in picture with body kits and inch up low profile tyre with fender mirror...

[aerohit]

Finally, the classic DALA DALA is here.

If you dont know what is DALA DALA, just do an image search.



Source

[amtak]

So, this would be sold as a competion to Winger and Traveller? This is a good vehicle and should offer reliable and vibration-free travel to corporate employees.

[Carpainter]

Good move by Toyota. It's nice to see that a global manufacturer is looking beyond their bread and butter models and trying to give something extra in the market. Although I don't think it will be priced similar to winger,traveller and the likes, if it's not illogically priced then it will find buyers. Afterall it's a Toyota and has the famous reliability advantage as its usp.

[DicKy]

If Toyota or for the matter Nissan or Mitsubishi put their heart in, they can rule the CV segment in India (please, the '80s JV failure was in another era). But to the relief of our domestic players they don't want to sully their 'premium' image in India.

From the talk at the Auto Expo looks like they will price it at 30 lakhs, so airport shuttle-5 star hotel industry it is.
And as long as Thailand is there, most of the Japanese companies won't think of assembling here, especially utility vehicles.

But, if Toyota pulls off a la Isuzu, importing this as a commercial vehicle, and not giving high import taxes, then at sub 20 lakhs this will sweep off Tempo Traveller dominance., but knowing Toyota it won't be.
Heck, it would clash with the positioning of their cash cow (Innova)

Makes me wonder, what's stopping Tata from launching a full fledged van, instead of bringing old Renault body shells.??

[dheepak10]

Saw a Hiace being driven on the Nehru Outer Ring Road in Hyderabad a couple of months back.
But I couldnt take a pic while driving, else would have made a nice scoop pic.

BTW I was driven around in a Hiace in SriLanka and my dad was so impressed with it that he was asking me 'Don't we have such vehicles in India'.

[madhu33]

Originally Posted by Skyline GT-R

If priced well, can the HiAce partially end the monopoly of Force Traveller in tour/call centre cab segment?

Knowing Toyota Kirloskar motors apetite for profit margins in India , forget about it.
Personally though i would also want it that way.
But it is highly unlikely.

[condor]

Originally Posted by Skyline GT-R

If priced well, can the HiAce partially end the monopoly of Force Traveller in tour/call centre cab segment?

Only if priced really low. But like others have said, this is mostly likely to be priced premium - and would create a new segment of luxury vans, like vans for top Execs etc.

[Vid6639]

Toyota had planned to launch the Hiace in 2015. The Hiace was on display at the 2014 Auto Expo and they were gauging response. The plan was to get it as a CBU which means price upwards of 30lakhs.

We had covered the Hiace in detail inside out at the 2014 Auto Expo.

Gallery can be found at the below link:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post3363809

[vipul_singh]

Yipppppppeeeeee! I have nothing constructive to share except my enthusiasm. Wife and I recently came back from a Thailand trip. "Commuters" (Thai name for HiAce) are everywhere, especially in Phuket. And the way the Thai dress up their Commuters, makes them look Ace (pun intended). We could see as may Commuters as the HiLux / D-Max. That is saying something, indeed.

Similar to comments above, my wife also asked "why don't we get this in India?". At least we know where to shop for accessories, in case we end up owning one here!

@PCS: the vehicle in dark colours (especially black) with golden alloys is pure drool maal!

@Dicky: I hope Toyota does not go the Isuzu way, specifically by limiting India sales to the older generation of vehicle, the way Isuzu sells the 2002 D-Max and MU-7. In Thailand, they have the 2012 DMax and the MU-X on sale instead.

[carfreak7]

Hiace is like the big brother of Innova. I have travelled in the Hiace in Malaysia and Sri Lanka, and it is very comfortable like Innova. It will revolutionize the Luxury Commuter Segment and it may even create a new segment altogether. But, the price will be high as it will follow the trend of Toyota in India (Innova G Variant for 14 lakhs and Fortuner 28 to 30 lakhs). It can be priced for 20 - 25 lakhs but it would be a worth buy.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by vipul_singh

@Dicky: I hope Toyota does not go the Isuzu way, specifically by limiting India sales to the older generation of vehicle, the way Isuzu sells the 2002 D-Max and MU-7. In Thailand, they have the 2012 DMax and the MU-X on sale instead.

Looks like it, as the present gen Hiace is already a decade old, but then there are no reports of a new Hiace being developed either. Anyway, even if they bring the previous gen it would still be ages ahead of Travellers and Wingers.



And, just noticed now. The steering wheel design has changed from the ubiquitous 4 spoke Camry wheel to a Landcruiser steering wheel

[miharbe]

I don't see a reason why this shouldn't be another winner from Toyota irrespective of the pricing. Already there are many on the streets so this car won't be a totally new model which will take some time for the market to adapt to.

20L or 30L I don't really see this replacing the Winger anywhere as the Winger is priced around 10L. However as mentioned by many this should take the large family market by storm.

For some reason I have always loved the shape so I don't really care how old it is and yes I too have experienced this in Phuket and can vouch for the interior space and comfort.

The mention of automatic transmission made me sit up and notice and this will be on my radar if priced well! I hope they don't restrict it to fleet buyers and luxury hotels. That would be quite sad!