[samm]

Originally Posted by Revvman

Not to say that they have any competition right now, but the moment a worthy contender arrives and hopefully the Nissans, Mitsubishis and Isuzus of the world are listening, the fleeced Indian consumer would hopefully teach Toyota a lesson in long term strategy. The current situation just goes on to highlight how much the market needs worthy competition!

Mitsubishi (I guess already shut shop) and Isuzu has no plans to bring anything new. I was willing to buy MU-X if they got their 2021 international version. But they changed the engine of their stone age car to BS6 and relaunched in India.
Pajero and MU-X international versions are superb, and way better than Fortuner in terms of features, interiors and comfort. Unfortunately, we are not that lucky for whatever reasons. And I dont think Toyota has competition in the foreseeable future.

Originally Posted by GreasyCarb55

You tell me what you would rather have in your garage, a 330i/A4 or a 60 lakh Fortuner or an Octavia 2.0 Style + a Diesel Innova.

I'd personally take the Octavia/Innova combo.

I will take the Fortuner! I too have 2011 Innova, its indestructible, drives as in its teens at 1.5 Lakh km. Not a plastic part has faded, stock clutch, 2nd set of Yokos.

[xantia]

The price seems to have seems to have greyed a lot of hairs! As an ex-owner of a Fortuner and most recently bought a Tucson, I can definitely say that nothing gives a sense of safety, purpose and presence than a Fortuner to a common man who can afford one. You can keep complaining (and I do) about the ride, the sheer basic features and the innumerable moans about how difficult it is to get in and out of in party clothing, but come the morning, I love seeing it there, I smile when I get in and start driving. It has got me out of holes and tricky situations and slippery slopes by just being patient and coaxing it.

And the ownership experience? There is no drama or hassle for maintenance, parts, insurance claims etc.

Maybe the JLR / German vehicle owners feel the same but I have only rented those overseas. When I land back, the driver moves over and I get back in the groove again.

So if you can, do buy one, whatever variant best suits. If you are not in the NCR, you will enjoy it for many years - maybe even hand it over to future generations! Oh kids love it by the way.

[roadrunner_nv]

One more cash cow for Toyota. There’s nothing wrong with the product or with people desiring a Fortuner. I myself was in line to buy one after I got rid of all VAG cars in my garage. But then sense prevailed (for me). I ended up buying the XUV AX7L Diesel Auto, a Thar Hardtop Auto and a pre owned Nano which is in sound condition except for one scratch on the bumper. In the same money that I would have spent in buying an overpriced Fortuner, I have three beauties added to my garage.

[poloman]

Fortuners are overpriced for sure. But there is a charm associated with this vehicle which none can deny.

If you love the car, you will get it if money is not a concern. I don't get the concept, I loved the car, but since it was over priced, I got 3 cars for that price. This is like I wanted to eat apple today, since it was costly bought 1 Kg each of oranges, grapes and papaya for that price. But if you love apple, will you be content if you do this?

I evaluated the car and liked it. I was even OK with the ride quality. But found that the car was lacking practicality and space. So it boils down to what you are looking for and how much you are willing to pay for it.

[landcruiser123]

Seems like the sky is the limit with Toyota SUVs.

Next step: Slap a TRD badge + upgraded shocks + body kit and charge even more? It'll be an interesting limited edition (~500 cars) they should experiment with. cars) they should experiment with.

[MADisMynAMe]

The Fortuner has only 3 rivals in India after the end of the Almighty Endeavour. The Alturas, the Gloster and the MU-X(I forgot that MU-X exists also). Alturas is 31.88 Big ones, MU-X 37.9 Big ones and Gloster 39.5 Big ones for the top-spec models. Here the Fortuner tops out at 48.43 big ones!!! That's the Glosters OTR price!!! That is basically taking advantage of the Endeavour’s discontinuation. The three cars sales combined can't come near Fortuner, forget beating it. If this continues then the Fortuner will cost 1 Cr by next year

MOD NOTE - No acronyms while referring to a car’s make or model (For e.g. T-Fort, Endy, JC, ANHC). You are requested to type the full name.

Thanks.

[AROO7]

I don't think Toyota's way of business in India is anything different from what it is in the other part of the world e.g. the North American market. In that market, too, most Toyota cars are priced at a premium over the rival cars (best e.g. Toyota Corolla and Toyota Camry).

Like the Fortuner, there also, Toyota peddled big trucks up till recently (read Sequoia, Tundra, 4Runner, etc) powered with old V8 and V6 engines, poor ride quality (sitting on BOF platform), cheap plastic riddled interiors, etc. But the things like high resale value, cheap to run, and indestructibility made them sell in good numbers.

To such an extent that Toyota last year dethroned General Motors to become the top-selling automaker in the North American region. Fast forward to the present time the Sequoia and the Tundra have been redesigned and fitted with a modern and far better twin-turbo V6 and twin-turbo hybrid V6 engines. These trucks are now sharing the same platform which the all-new Land Cruiser underpins.

So from the above discussion, two points become evident, the first one is that Toyota is very slow in bringing updates and the second one is that they always sell their vehicles at a premium pricing. Now if we were to extrapolate this to the Indian market then the Fortuner is going to see more price increases in the near future and even a bigger one when it gets a new platform and powertrain. That's just how this company works.

Coming to the elephant in the room, what if hypothetically there were worthy rivals like Ford Endeavour, Isuzu MU-X, and Mitsubishi Pajero available in the Indian market at a far lower price point than the Fortuner. Then also guys the latter would have been selling with only a small portion of sales going to the former three. The only benefit from this is that Toyota would have been on its feet to keep the Fortuner updated and added more features. But even then with every update, they would have raised the prices.

To conclude I think Toyota despite any motivation for updating and bringing better Fortuner or other SUVs into the Indian market will eventually do so but everything will come at a premium. In the meantime, financial advisors will start telling you how adding a Fortuner or an Innova Crysta to your garage will be an asset instead of a liability. To end this I am sharing below the before and after pictures of the Toyota Sequoia and Toyota Tundra to show what Toyota is capable of provided it has the right motivation.


Toyota Sequoia

Before-



After-




Toyota Tundra

Before-




After-



(Photo Credits: Toyota USA Newsroom)

[tanbeamer]

At this price tag of ₹60 lakhs on road, I might as well buy 1 Innova GX AT and a Skoda Octavia Style. The Fortuner has become obnoxiously overpriced. So much so that I have started to find the stone age Isuzu MU-X to be a value-for-money bet (factoring discounts) while having similar reliability as the T-fort.

[Cyborg]

Buy as many cars you want within the price of a Fortuner, but a Fortuner is a Fortuner and for many, nothing else will do. The beauty, robustness and appeal will always remain.

That’s why Toyota will never be bothered, the Fortuner will continue to demand a premium and people will continue to wait for and buy it.

Cheers

[cool_dube]

Mods, please rename this thread to "Why is the Fortuner so expensive?" or "What are chaps at Toyota smoking?"

On a serious note, every time there is a new product launch from Toyota, there is a huge uproar around its pricing! To what end? Do we suppose TKM has dimwits sitting up there, throwing a dice or drawing lots to determine the pricing? They are here to do business, not charity! If a Toyota product is pegged at a certain price, they know it will sell at that price. "Price a product in accordance with what the customer is ready to pay for it" is sales 101.

Fortuner is a brand in itself, which has not been built overnight. Over the last 13 years, it has proven itself as an exceptionally well engineered product, backed by excellent after-sales experience for customers. While the current and past crop of competitors might be great products as well (read Pajero SFX, Pajero Sport, MU-X, Endeavour), their after sales experience leaves/left a lot to be desired. That's a very important aspect that most people overlook. The "Fortuner pricing" puzzle is more than just the sum of its parts. One has to experience the ownership to be able to fathom the reasoning behind it.

[Sandy Damodaran]

Originally Posted by AROO7

what if hypothetically there were worthy rivals like Ford Endeavour, Isuzu MU-X, and Mitsubishi Pajero available in the Indian market at a far lower price point than the Fortuner. Then also guys the latter would have been selling with only a small portion of sales going to the former three.[/i]

So True! There was actually a time when the Fortuner sold alongside Pajero Sport and was actually cheaper than it.

The difference in the residual price though tells an opposite tale. I don't think even the Mighty Endeavour ever held a candle to the resale value vis a vis the Fortuner.

Although I preferred a Pajero while searching for a pre owned car, the old Gen Fortuner always made a compelling case for its indestructability. I test drove over 30/35 cars across Pajero Sport and Fortuner during my hunt, and even the worst maintained Fortuner used to drive without any rattles or any signs of ageing. There was one particular vehicle which had 3.5Lakhs on the Odo, and had nothing to show for it !!

[car_guy1998]

Absolutely ridiculous pricing by Toyota

I'd get an Innova Crysta ZX AT for 33.5L OTR, Hyd or Safari XZA+ Dark Edition for 29L OTR, Hyd as a primary car and a Seltos GTX+ Diesel AT for 23L OTR, Hyd as a secondary car at the price of Fortuner GR Sport and call it a day.

[aamz6512]

Heck during the mid to late 2000s when the Fortuner was launched globally including the Middle East (India got it in '09), everyone were having the middle class car stereotype for the Fortuner especially for the expats in Gulf who owned it back in the day.
It was reliable, had a decent amount of power and Torque for its day and was a no-nonsense beast of a car but was sadly criticized for boring looks, less features than rivals (including the then Obsolete Pajero) and mostly just being a baby Land Cruiser. Cut to the present era where although everyone has mellowed down to it and appreciating it is for its now in the Middle East. In India everyone are bonkers with it, from a superhit debut to gradually setting sales charts on fire more and more with every price increase. It just shows the legendary capability of Toyota and people's trust in the brand in this unpredictable car industry.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by AROO7

To conclude I think Toyota despite any motivation for updating and bringing better Fortuner or other SUVs into the Indian market will eventually do so but everything will come at a premium. In the meantime, financial advisors will start telling you how adding a Fortuner or an Innova Crysta to your garage will be an asset instead of a liability. To end this I am sharing below the before and after pictures of the Toyota Sequoia and Toyota Tundra to show what Toyota is capable of provided it has the right motivation.

The design and sales performance of the Korean cousins the Palisade and the Telluride is also impacting the traditional bastion of Toyota. I feel the design updates are primarily to counter this.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[Kaydee55]

This update has made Fortuner 4x2 AT Diesel, 44 lacs OTR, Delhi registration, look like value for money now. Of course, provided Toyota delivers the vehicle and does not raise the prices of other variants.