[Shreyfiesta]

Interesting JDM Toyota imports in India from the 90s & 2000s

Back in the early-nineties, all we Indians got to see in the form of imported cars were the occasional Mercedes Benzes, blue-moon Honda Accords and those ubiquitous Toyota Corollas. Any Gulf returnee or NRI had one around. Corolla was not too flashy, performed brilliantly, and managed to stand out from the crowd of Ambys and Fiats. Everyone appreciated the Corolla for its reliability and near-immortal nature, nothing much ever happened to it, and it ran uncomplaining, kilometre after kilometre, lapping its own odometer a few times over before signs of ageing cropped up. Giving company to the Corollas were bigger and more opulent Crowns. Other Toyota models like Estima, Celsior, Celica and Sera also were imported to India in high numbers. Late into the same decade came the Starlet, a bare-basic Toyota car. It was very nearly the perfect transport, and it came cheap. The Starlet was a hatchback, and India saw quite a good number of these in its diesel versions, both turbo and NA engine options. So you had all the virtues of a Toyota and the economy of a diesel rolled into an inexpensive package.

BHPian Vivekji05's mint 1997 Toyota Crown S150.


So how come Toyota didn't the Starlet launch here, especially when the middle-class was taking to Maruti 800 in droves? A made-in-India Starlet would have costed as much as an Esteem back then, and this obviously just didn't make sense for Toyota. And of course, you had the Tercel, a sedan based on slightly longer and wider platform. JDM version of the Tercel was called the Corsa, this was meant for markets where GM-Opel, who also produced a car by the same name, was absent. So it was with cars like the Corsa that Toyota established its hegemony over the South Asian markets. It can get you from point A to point B innumerable times and still do it all over again. Tercel, Corolla, Corsa and Crown came to India in droves, with their reliability factor constantly working into the Indian collective subconscious. If it is a Toyota, it can't go wrong. An automobile version of the Swiss Army, versatile and very dependable. There's still a good number of people who use these cars, and still pleased as punch with the performance of their ageing cars.

Harshad Mehta with his Lexus LS400, a.k.a Toyota Celsior.


BHPian Mirage posted this photo of a T120 generation Celica on the forum in 2006.


Cut to early-2000s. You might have heard that most of the bollywood filmstars and rich businessmen preferred to be chauffeured around in a Lexus LX470. But most of them were not actually original LX470s. Yes, you heard it right! Majority of the LX470s you see here are rebadged diesel-engined Land Cruisers with Lexus face. Make no mistake, there exists many legit J100 Land Cruiser imports too in India. It was cheaper to get a Lexus converted Land Cruiser 100 from the Mid East or Japan than importing an original LX470 from US. The Lexus SUV was sold only with 4.7-litre 2UZ-FE petrol engine, but most examples came to India have the 4.2-litre diesel from Land Cruiser 100. Cygnus and Amazon versions were closest you could get to the LX470. There was a big scam in India on Landcruisers back in the 2000s. There were many importers in our country who would import these cars. They would buy a fresh Land Cruiser in Dubai. Ship it to India as a 10 year old Lexus LX under TR scheme. For inspection, these guys would drive in an older LX and then drive the new car out. Car then gets sold to someone else, but registration still remains in the name of a labourer who has returned to India.

Amitabh Bachchan's Land Cruiser Cygnus with Lexus kit. A legit Land Cruiser 100 is seen in the background.


Dia Mirza, Indian model, actress and producer posing with her Land Cruiser Cygnus.


Cars were shown to be older than they actually were, this was done to get more depreciation on the book value of the car while calculating the Custom duty. Lexus was made only in the US and it wasn't possible to import from any other country than home country. For registering such cars, imported car dealers used to bribe small RTOs of various states (HR 18 in most cases). So most of these were grey imports which came to India via TR/ EPCG route. At a later stage, DRI and Customs had identified many car smuggling rackets run by foreign car dealers. They not only undervalued the vehicles, but also allegedly declared older cars as new. In 2006, a bollywood actress' Land Cruiser was seized by DRI for the same reason. She bought the car via an import car dealer in Mumbai. Documents stated its year of manufacture as 1998 while the actual year of manufacture was 2003, DRI sources said. Value of the vehicle was declared very less with a customs duty of ₹ 9 lakh being paid on the vehicle. The importer and the broker miscleared the chassis number of the SUV that had a market value of ₹ 60 lakh back then, so the actual duty payable was around ₹ 20 lakh.

Malayalam actor Mohanlal with his legit 1999 UAE-Spec Land Cruiser 100 in the movie Ravanaprabhu.


BHPian salty dog's 1993 Toyota MR-2, a picture from 2008.


Yash Sawant's Toyota Altezza AS200. 1/4 surviving Altezzas in our country.


The EPCG scheme was mainly for hotel business. If they earned foreign exchange, they could import a car for as less as 12% import duty. Cars imported using EPCG scheme had to wear yellow plates and could not be sold for 5 years. Most of the Aristos, Celsiors and Harriers came to our country via the EPCG route. Like what I said about the Land Cruiser 100, import car dealers used to rebadge Celsior and Aristo too, as LS430 and GS300. Interestingly, 90 percent of the Aristos imported to India were V300 Vertex Edition models with the 2JZ-GTE under the hood. The turbo 2JZ was first introduced on Aristo, Supra only got it later. There are a few Aristos in India that still survives. Talking about the Supra, only a few of them came to India, most are legit imports too. Just like the Supra, only a few Altezzas were brought to India, a significant proportion of these cars are still on the road. Both AS200 and RS200 versions of the Altezza exists in our country. Then there were many seventh-gen Celicas, these cars used to retail for about ₹ 15 lakhs back in the early-2000s. Star hotels, on the other side, had a large fleet of Celsior to ferry their special guests.

BHPian Akshay1234 spotted this Toyota Aristo along with a Porsche 911 Carrera in 2007.


A legit Toyota Soarer spotted in Mumbai. Ali G shared this picture on the forum in November 2008.


The third-gen Toyota Celsior was a popular import back in the early-2000s.


A couple of Toyota Supras from Mumbai, BHPian Benson posted this picture on the forum in 2016.


Alright, let's have a quick look at the commonly-imported Toyotas through a couple of posts. Find out next.

[Shreyfiesta]

Hatchbacks, sedans, coupes and convertibles

Toyota Starlet (P80 generation : 3/5-door hatchback)


With the Starlet hatchback, those middle-class Indians who desired a cheap, sleek Japanese car were able to own one, thanks to the importers who took on local compliance of the cars. It is still possible to see some of these Starlets being used in South India, especially the ones with 1N diesel engine. This car is now appreciated for what it really was, possibly one of the best hatchbacks Toyota ever made.

Toyota Tercel / Corsa (L40 generation : 5-door sedan)


Tercel was the unanimous choice of import car buyers in India at one point of time. Why would someone buy a Ford Escort or Daewoo Cielo when they could get a more sophisticated Tercel imported for almost the same price? These cars came from Gulf countries via the TR route (transfer of residence), so that importers were able to register them in the name of some gulf returnee when they left. Interestingly, most of the Tercels here in Kerala were registered under Malappuram RTO (KL-10) where there were many expats back then.

Toyota Cynos (L40 generation : 2-door coupe)


Cynos or Paseo was basically a two-door coupe based on the same platform as that of the Tercel. It is one such car which died a slow and painful death in the market. This car actually had no USPs of its own in the segment, buyers blindly took a Mazda MX-5 for similar price. As a result, only a few of these were imported to our country.

Toyota Corolla (E100 generation : 5-door sedan)


It has always been A for Apple, B for Ball and C for Corolla in most parts of the world. Even Toyota doesnt know how many countries they sell the Corolla in and in what shape. The E100 shape Corolla was so popular in India as we had many imported examples here in the nineties. Indians bought this car because of the reviews and reputation, used it for a few years, and then postulated it as the best car in the world. Also, this car had played a big role in solidifying Toyota's reputation for high-class reliability even before the brand's advent into the Indian car market.

Toyota Sera (EXY10 : 2-door coupe)


The Sera had a loyal following in India, it was very popular among the enthusiast community because of its design. The main highlight of this car was the door, it was one of the few cars in the world at that time which came with butterfly doors. The roof of the car even came with a glass panel which can be removed manually. Also, the car was richly-equipped for its time, the SLSS surround sound system demands a special mention here. Many of these came to the Indian shores in mid-nineties, and being an RHD market, we were lucky to get the Sera which was made specifically for Japan.


Toyota MR2 (W30 generation : 2-door coupe)


The second-gen MR2 enjoyed a massive innings before disappearing from dealerships in 1999. This particular generation of the MR2 was popularly known as 'Japanese Porsche' among car enthusiasts back then. It was equivalent to a Boxster in Porsche terms with a mid-engined, RWD layout. Also, it seated only two, had a manual transmission and featured pop-up headlights too. A lot of these came to India as well, majority of them are still active.

Toyota MR-S (W40 generation : 2-door convertible)


The third-gen MR2, known as the MR-S, forewent the iconic pop-up headlights for big, frivolous-looking headlights and the roof was done away with completely. This particular model is probably the most unloved generation of the MR2 family. So, the MR-S was basically a mid-engined, RWD, two-seater convertible car. However, importers in India had managed to bring a handful of MR2s to our country in the early-noughties. It was cheap to buy, fuel-efficent and fun to drive at the same time

Toyota Altezza (XE10 generation : 5-door sedan)


An inline-6 engine, RWD layout, compact but stylish shape, these were the highlights of Altezza. The car was sold in two versions : the RS200 with 3S-GE engine and the AS200 with 1G-FE engine. Toyota squeezed every drop of expertise from its suspension engineers, making Altezza one of the best handling Toyotas ever made. Only a few of them were brought to India, only 6-7 cars existed here IIRC.

Toyota Celica (T200 generation : 3-door coupe)


Around the world, Celica is classified as a public sports car, it's quite dynamic, but at the same time comfortable and not-so-difficult to maintain. But in India, the sixth-gen Celica fell into the category of almost exclusive cars. The reason is that, not many of them were imported to our country. Most of the Celicas seen in India are 3S-GE-powered ST202s. A perfect blend of sharp styling and timeless design created a performance car that exemplified the quality of Toyota.

Toyota Celica (T230 generation : 3-door coupe)


The seventh-gen Celica was like an entry level for a person who wanted to have a dynamic car with a sports orientation. It was offered in two variants in Japan : SS-I and SS-II with 1ZZ-FE and 2ZZ-GE engines respectively. Apart from SS-I and SS-II, there existed a limited-production T-Sport variant which was exclusive to Japan. The "T-Sport" played the same role which the "AMG" played for Mercedes. Sadly, none of the T-Sport cars made their way to India. 8 out of 10 T230 Celicas in our country are SS-I variant cars.

Toyota Crown (S150 generation : 5-door sedan)


The Crown has been Toyota's flagship sedan in Japan since 1950s. Among the cars that were imported to India, the Toyota Crown always occupied a special place. The S150 Crown in Royal Saloon trim powered by the legendary 2JZ-GE engine was a very popular choice of car for VIPs in India alongside other rear-wheel drive large sedans. Interestingly, S150's body came in two sizes, one classified in the compact "5 number" category and the other in the larger "3 number" category.

Toyota Crown (S170 generation : 5-door sedan)


Although not much popular as the S150 in India, a few S170 Crowns also came to the Indian grounds back in early-2000s. Most of these vehicles came to India under Japanese embassy if memory serves me right. Some star hotels also found the Crown ideal under the EPCG scheme. Sadly, this particular generation of the Crown had low desirability factor compared to older generations even though the car was nice to drive, well-loaded and comfortable to ride in.

Toyota Soarer (Z40 generation : 2-door coupe)


The Soarer was originally designed in America and aimed at affluent Americans who wanted to get a stylish fully-equipped coupe. Z40 generation Soarer actually shared tons of parts with the Toyota Aristo sedan. Toyota believed it couldn’t sell enough premium cars in India to turn a profit from them, but that left the door open for importers to satisfy demand from local buyers. Most of the cars which came to India were Japanese Soarers actually, but were rebadged as the Lexus SC430.

Toyota Aristo (S160 generation : 5-door sedan)


With tank-like build quality, the Aristo was one of the many robust cars to come out of Japan in the nineties. The sedan was available in three grades : S300, V300 and V300 Vertex. Aristos were imported to India as 'GS300' under Lexus brand. This particular model used a front-engine, rear-wheel drive platform like what was featured in the Crown. Vertex Editon saw the continuation of Toyota putting their legendary 2JZ-GTE engine into a luxury sedan. At the same time, this was an extremely comfortable sedan with all sorts of premium features.

Toyota Supra (A80 generation : 3-door coupe)


Supra used to be a tuner's favourite (it still is), which gave rise to heavily modified creations, even with four-digit figure power outputs. Thanks to Fast and The Furious, it was furthermore displayed as a ‘tuners car’. Back then, people couldn’t believe how Toyota had produced a sports car that could beat Ferraris. As a result, many Supras were brought to our country as well. Some of them have been trashed and the remaining ones are all with collectors now. Not to forget the fact that there were many illegally imported Supras also back in the day.

Toyota Celsior (XF20 generation : 5-door sedan)


XF20 Celsior had all ingredients to challenge the big Germans just like the original first-gen model did when it debuted in 1989. The sedan looked like a car designed for such people who wanted the best automobile but didn't care about what the rest of the world thought. It was stuffed with all sorts of features to the eyeballs and above. Lexus brand gained fame in India when Harshad Mehta started posing with his first-gen LS400, a rebadged XF10 Celsior. There actually existed a niche audience for this car, who wanted a V8-powered, fully-loaded luxobarge.

Toyota Celsior (XF30 generation : 5-door sedan)


XF30 Celsior was the car to opt for if somebody wanted a reliable Japanese luxury sedan with a big V8 under the hood. This third-gen Celsior was not actually popular as the first-gen and second-gen ones in India, but there still exists quite a few of them. Back in the 2000s, many star hotels had a large fleet of Celsior to ferry their special guests. Most of them were imported using EPCG scheme and had to wear yellow plates.

[Shreyfiesta]

Vans, MUVs and SUVs

Toyota Estima (XR20 generation : 3-door minivan)


Popularly known as the egg-van across the world, the Estima/Previa was a favourite of South Indian filmstars until Land Cruiser took the mantle. The Japanese market Estima itself was sold in two smaller sub-variants : Emina and Lucida, Toyota's motive behind introducing such grades was to get the benefits of a lower tax band as the vehicle tax system in Japan was purely based on the length and width of the vehicle. Standard model was known as the 'wide-body' Estima. This one was also a popular grey import, it is still possible to spot many surviving examples in various parts of our country.

Toyota Harrier (UC10 generation : 5-door SUV)


Harrier was very rare in India since most people opted for the Land Cruiser/Lexus LX470. These were mostly imported either through Toyota dealers or through Transfer of Residence scheme. The Harrier was an innovative concept that combined the performance of a luxury sedan, and the functionality and off-road performance of an SUV. Lovers of comfort always appreciated the good noise insulation, excellent directional stability and high quality aerodynamics. In Toyota's model lineup, the Harrier sat in between Prado and Land Cruiser.

Toyota Prado (J90 generation : 3-door/5-door SUV)


The J90 Prado is not much popular in India as the real Land Cruisers, but this does not mean that it is worse. In fact, the Prado range itself was created with an eye to versatility, to a balance of qualities on and off asphalt. This generation introduced a new chassis design that used a front suspension and chassis similar to the 4Runner/Surf. J90 was sold in 3-door and 5-door body styles. It was possible to have either five or seven seats in 5-door version. Some of the Toyota dealers in our country used to import the 5-door wide-body variant of the Prado on demand in early-2000s.

Toyota Land Cruiser (J80 generation : 5-door SUV)


Land Cruiser is the last word when it comes to SUV ambitions. The J80 was tall, wide and sported features that God meant only for a true-blooded four-wheel drive. A vast majority of these SUVs sold here back in the mid-nineties came through grey channels. Those were mostly the Middle East-spec examples with colorful graphics on the sides, a sight emblem on the hood and nameplates GX-R or VX-R. Not many people in India were able to afford a Land Cruiser back then, they settled for Mercs and took comfort from the fact that the SUV was slower than them at traffic signals.

Toyota Land Cruiser (J100 generation : 5-door SUV)


Few SUVs receive uncontested acceptance of their superiority as the 100 Series Land Cruiser. It was undoubtedly the most popular import car in India back in the early-noughties. Everyone fell in love with it and it delivered a knockout punch to other premium SUVs at that time. Both regular J100 and Cygnus were popular here. Import car dealers in India took 'Lexus' brand as an advantage and did brisk business swapping LX470 badges on to Land Cruiser. Most of the rich businessmen and filmstars preferred to be chauffeured around in one back then.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Vmax1200]

Originally Posted by Shreyfiesta

Vans, MUVs and SUVs

Toyota Land Cruiser (J100 generation : 5-door SUV)
Attachment 2467143

Few SUVs receive uncontested acceptance of their superiority as the 100 Series Land Cruiser. It was undoubtedly the most popular import car in India back in the early-noughties. Everyone fell in love with it and it delivered a knockout punch to other premium SUVs at that time. Both regular J100 and Cygnus were popular here. Import car dealers in India took 'Lexus' brand as an advantage and did brisk business swapping LX470 badges on to Land Cruiser. Most of the rich businessmen and filmstars preferred to be chauffeured around in one back then.

Most 100 series Land Cruisers were facelifted to Lexus kit at that time. So, the original Land Cruiser shape is rare now and command good price compared to Lexus kit.

Good thing about Land Cruiser is that all parts are available in UAE and relatively cheap compared to German counterparts. You need a friend/relative in UAE to bring parts.

[vaibhavyagnik]

That Altezza is to die for! Such a looker!

[JunkyardHunter]

Adding my entry -

A 2006 Toyota MRS Spyder being sold on T- BHP classefieds.

Link - https://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy...S-Spyder.html/

[ssjr0498]

To add to the datasheet, my dad had imported a Datsun Bluebird 510 SSS in 1972 from Japan, which we sold in 1981 to a customs officer in Kolkata. Unfortunately, I currently do not have any of its pictures!

[GForceEnjoyer]

I once saw a Toyota Estima in person in Hyderabad. Here is a shaky picture of the same; right ahead of the red Brezza.

[Shreyfiesta]

Originally Posted by GForceEnjoyer

I once saw a Toyota Estima in person in Hyderabad. Here is a shaky picture of the same; right ahead of the red Brezza.
Attachment 2553088

This is a first-generation Toyota Alphard, not Estima/Previa.

[W140SKlasse]

Great thread!
Here's my small contribution, attaching some photos of a Toyota Harrier I saw in Mumbai a couple of years back. The car was in a very poor condition then, hopefully it is back on the road now. Pretty sure the D-4D badge on the fender was a later add-on and that the car didn't have a diesel powerplant (please correct me if I'm wrong).

[MotoBlip]

Adding a few sightings of my own in Delhi-NCR

Toyota Sera


Toyota Estima


Toyota Rav4


OT: Nissan 350z(Not a true JDM, but still a looker)


Also, I believe we are missing a few Nissan JDMs in this thread.

[UMXR]

My friend has a crown s130 most likely a royal saloon from the 90's he picked up a while ago, with a diesel engine from the L series diesel engines.
Also you can see a integra that also belongs to a friend

[DasAuto1985]

Great thread! Thanks for getting these beautiful pics. From such a line up Toyota has now become a brand known only for Fortuner in India. Sad state of affairs

[LazyDriver]

Spotted this rare Land Cruiser Prado 70 Series in Mumbai.