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-   -   Toyota Hycross ZX(O) selling in the black market at a premium (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/277621-toyota-hycross-zx-o-selling-black-market-premium.html)

Thanks to Arvind for sending this in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP share page!

Might just be a scam - you will lose your money and get no car.

This is an open secret. Anyone who is part of the dealer circle, the used car market, or has booked a HyCross knows this. Cars are available for immediate delivery upon paying premium directly upfront to the dealer, or through ‘ bundled accessories’. Or, unregistered pieces are conveniently available at select used car dealers at a premium.How these brand new unregistered vehicles with <100km on odo got to these people is anyone’s guess.

Fact is that dealers are scamming people left right and center with this bogey of waiting period and are minting money like anything. Toyota is either, blind, or helpless , or is a happy participant in enabling this nonsense. Take your pick.

This is a positive sign, regular customers are assured good resale and desperate ones can buy with a premium. Credit to toyota for making a car that the market is willing to pay a premium for.

DSAs (direct sales agents) of car loan companies also frequently offer quicker delivery if you finance the car through them.

The backlog of the XUV700 & Thar is showing signs of clearing. I hope in another year, it's cleared for the Innova Hycross too. It's one heck of an MPV, but the waiting period forces customers to look elsewhere.

Or book a Maruti Invicto :D. I know many people who took the Maruti just for the quicker delivery.

It’s pretty straightforward, Toyota had closed ZX and ZX(O) bookings on 8th April 2023.

Many people had/have cancelled bookings or moved to the lower variants from their ZX and ZX(O) bookings.

Toyota is prioritising ZX and ZX(O) variants for sometime now, and now supply is on the higher side. Since bookings are still closed officially, whenever dealerships get the ZX and ZX(O) they accessorise the car and then sell it at a premium.

There are many people who hadn’t booked the car earlier, and now want the top-end trim. They’re the ones who are ready to pay the premium and take the car.

I was recently offered a ZX(O) in Silver colour with compulsory accessories worth 50k and over and above that some more accessories worth 2Lakh including some non-Toyota Genuine Accessories.

So yes dealerships are taking full advantage of the situation, people who want the car desperately and couldn’t book it earlier, are willing to pay that extra premium now.

It’s high time that Toyota India opens bookings for the ZX and ZX(O) trims of the HyCross.

I booked ZXO opening day in Nov 2022 and it's been 16 months and I'm still on the waitlist.

There are middlemen asking up to 8 Lac premium and promise deliveries directly from dealer as first owner.

Sales guys from the dealer directly have called and offered a test car with 3 lac accessories for a delivery within a week.

This is completely true hycross is demanding a premium in the market. My extended family have bought the base automatic variant non hybrid with immediate delivery by paying a premium of 1 lac + 60K accessories. The ZX(O) was also readily available with 4 lacs premium + the 60K accessories. Toyota is completely turning a blind eye towards its customers. i think they should adopt the Mercedes method and sell directly to the customer.

I don't think one should buy from third parties unless it is a second hand product. There may be issues concerning the product quality, ownership and biggest of them, fraud. Further more, we may be encouraging such practices if we buy from them. Long waiting periods have always been a bane when it comes to Toyota products in India. Toyota should recognise what is happening in the markets and take appropriate action.
I would rather buy the Maruti Invicto which is practically the same car with a different badge. It is nearly readily available and Maruti service network is not bad after all. In fact, Maruti Invicto is more Toyota than somecars like Glanza and Hyryder

Lot of customers dont mind paying for the accessories or premium or both, While I would never buy something by paying a gray market premium, that too an expensive MPV with questionable interior quality, I understand why some customers are readily willing to pay what is demanded, if one chooses to wait, the car would probably retail at the same price or higher than the cars price now plus the premium one pays in about a year because of the price hike/s, so the time wasted in waiting doesnt really reward the customer in anyway, I wouldnt be surprised to see the Innova selling at 50 lakhs in about 18-24 months from now, I absolutely dont think its worth that kind of money though!

When the XUV700 was in peak demand, I saw the same kind of posts in the Facebook group. Charging 1 or 2 lakhs extra for immediate delivery. The user car dealers are using their connects and making a quick buck.

In 2012, Fortuner used to be in the same boat. A premium of 1.5 lakhs for home delivery anywhere in India within 7 days. The dealer was Mumbai based, the one I know. There were many. People were willing to pay even more than this to autoportals if their sales team coordinated 'professionally' with buyers.

Wild thought - Is it possible that people are buying Invictos and replacing the badges, wheels and tweaking the S-logos to T- logos in the infotainment and mid?

And for someone planning to keep it for 15 years, there is nothing wrong with Invicto. It is the same product and should be treated as a special variant only, with a different interior colour theme, and front fascia. I wanted a 7 seater, with rear bench, and without much gizmos, and Invicto fits perfectly with delivery in a week.

The VIN would still show it as a Maruti and so would the registration details on Vaahan so it’s pointless