[gkveda]

The trend I have seen on Toyota launched vehicles is:

Initially the comments would be on the shape, size, design and model (outdated) etc.Then we also talk about very little features and electronic Gizmos for the price compared to other manufacturers.

And the model anyways attracts Indian customers and picks up heavily on sales and market share.

Then comments will start on pricing - like too costly and exorbitant.

We see the above trend in Qualis, Innova, Etios, Fortuner.

[peterjim13]

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

The Toyota Hiace has been introduced in India at a starting price of Rs 55 lakh (ex-showroom).

I have always wondered why Toyota didn't bring Hiace to India. True "they don't care".

I have wondered how Hiace can be a great alternative for Force Traveller or Winger - nothing more. While travelling on the Hiace - this would have rocked here at home even if it is sold at 5-8 lakhs premium over Force.

55 Lakhs for this van makes it a "premium van" - which is so weird to me.

I think I can buy 3 or 4 Travellers or may be T1N's for the same cost. Not sure of what specific set of customers they are looking at.

[Kashi053]

Guess what. Toyota Hiace 5th gen was launched in 2004 in international market. What were Toyota thinking while launching 17 years old product in India that too at insane price. I feel Toyota India basically have no respect to Indian customer while Indians show great respect towards Toyota. They need to correct their mentality towards Indian customer.

[hserus]

A 7 seater Crysta with comparatively barebones features retails for 24 lakh ex showroom. So I guess this cheap motel / super shuttle type people mover will still find buyers and have a high resale value.

[landcruiser123]

I guess there'll be a few customers like large factories & hotels who qualify for the EPCG benefits, allowing them to get the vehicle at lower rates.

Besides that, not too many are going to buy a grossly overpriced barebones commercial vehicle.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by amol4184

For 55L, who is the target customer for this vehicle? The ultra rich already have their Vellfires.

Good question, it certainly is not the Vellfire owners. I sat in these hi ace vans in Mexico/cancun and Kenya. They are huge, compared to regular vans. 14 seater like the tempo traveller, with a high roof. It is very roomy, a really pleasant ride, popular with luxury hotels as a shared ride vehicle.

I don't see families owning these vans anywhere.

[COMMUTER]

Post deleted by the Team-BHP Support : There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use a spell-checker.

[roadrunner_nv]

"It's a TOYOTA and we are talking about INDIANS"

The same breed that laps up old, overpriced, underpowered, frequent service models at a pace which challenges their dare.

Not surprising at all. I wanted an Innova 2.8 which they phased out and replaced with a competent but underpowered 2.4. Add to it, the interiors make you feel that you are in the 80s. Sadly, these vehicles are sold like hot cakes.

If you are listening Toyota, can you live up to your name? Please?

[apachelongbow]

Toyota knows Indians well. They know that Indians lap up the overpriced and underwhelming products they dish out, in the name of resale value and reliability. How can Toyota be wrong when a basic taxicab commuter is considered as luxury and premium (Innova), or a rough riding pickup based UTE is considered as a status symbol "SUV"?
I bet we Indians will lap up this as well!

[Claws]

Originally Posted by dragracer567

Toyota never learns. They just don’t understand that Indians won’t buy any overpriced car they peddle in the name of reliability (unless you are Maruti). Toyota should’ve brought in a 6th-gen with a better engine and more features. A 55 lakh vehicle with a 2 din audio player and no ESP? It’s more under featured than an Alto! It’s also too expensive to be sold just as a commercial people carrier.

Also, this vehicle is extremely unsafe: https://gulfnews.com/uae/stop-carryi...ves-1.66787002

Well, I don't think that's the case. No matter how bad a car Toyota makes, be it quality-wise or price-wise, they always sell like hot cakes. The new Fortuner, for example, is too pricey for what it is and yet it has managed to gather more than 5,000 bookings in a month. And then there's the Innova facelift. Seems like people here would pay anything to get a reliable vehicle, all the while being blind towards other factors

[M00M]

Looks like Toyota had some old kits lying around somewhere on the planet and decided that Indians will fall for them being the gullible people we are for reliability and decided to drop these in India that also at a price which may be higher than the price charged for the new gen model. Its high time public of India reject these kind of models along with unsafe models which have different crash rating abroad and different in India ( basically indian model has corners cut ) so that manufacturers dont even dare to bring them to India or try such tactics. Sad. Shame on such manufacturers.

[sodapop]

I think most of the people here are completely missing the very point of this vehicle. This surely isn't targetted towards private buyers. They have the Vellfire for that. The Hiace is an out and out fleet vehicle. There are a few of these around in metros which were brought in either as private imports or on transfer of residence basis and command sort of a very premium stature. These are mostly used by rich international tourists, Diplomats etc. and make a hell lot of sense to the fleet market catering to these people. While 55 lakhs is a lot of money for one, I don't think the people buying will complain at all;they must've paid up way higher and gone through hassles previously while buying one. Plus a major chunk of these customers will be eligible for the EPCG concessions making these even more attractive. And 50 units is nothing, I am sure they will get lapped up in no time. Additionally sourcing spares and conducting services will be much much easier too!

@ COMMUTER

Would prefer if such statements without any sort of experience with the vehicle aren't made. While objectively, this might seem to be inferior, let me tell you, the ride quality, NVH, practicality, comfort, ease of ingress and other things that do matter in a van are far far better and these are the things that actually matter more than the power and handling etc. in a people mover. Afterall even if this is a 17 year old vehicle, its still far newer than the Traveller which is still based on a 40 year old german vehicle

[SandyX]

Having travelled extensively in these, I'd get one for the asking if I had the dough. Or maybe wait for one used. Even though not so plushy inside, it's well put together with quite the go. So much better than Innova in a similar role with regards to space and utility.

A fully loaded high roof i rented once had absolutely no difficulty in keeping up or moving past fast traffic on extended stretches. With the kind of room and comfort inside, we got out just as fresh as when we started.

The latest variant is quite different in shape and size, which I'm yet to come to terms with. I've seen quite a few of these in private hands, especially the Nissan Urvan. I believe this body style is now also licensed to some Chinese brand as there are a few of those too around.

[TrackDay]

In the Middle East, these are extremely popular when you have a small group of passengers say like school kids or nurses going for their shifts. This might also serve a similar function here, but I don't think hotels/factories are going to lap this up at these sticker prices. The Vellfire and Camry sold due to it's unique offering / reliability and presence of non-rivals within those price brackets. I don't see the Hiace doing extremely well unless huge incentives are offered, which then again is not what Toyota does.

[sandeepmohan]

Over priced for what is an older generation model. My guess is its a CBU.

I find this generation of the Hiace better than the new one in terms of dimensions. The new one is longer and wider. The one in discussion is still good and commands a huge sticker priced in the used market. It can be a comfortable 14 seat people carrier, convert to a campervan (for two) or a box/luggage van. Versatile in its design.

The only use case I can think of in India is a Airport shuttle service. The compact dimensions is the only plus point over the Force Motors Traveller, which retails for half the price.