Toyota’s new 7-seater volume seller…
TKM has just announced a new volume-based minivan called the Rumion for India. It’s been available in South Africa and other markets since 2021, and is now being added to the brand’s Indian MPV lineup, which already includes the Innova (Crysta and Hycross) and the Vellfire. The Rumion is, in fact, a rebadged Ertiga.
Toyota Rumion for India is pretty much the same as the one sold in South Africa. It, however, has a different look than the Ertiga – gets a chrome grille with a Toyota badge in the middle and black hexagon grille inserts- resembles the one on Innova. Fog lamps have a triangular enclosure, and the bumper has a big central air intake with chrome embellishments. The alloy wheels are also similar to the ones sold in S Africa. The fascia gets the most number of changes. The sides and rear remain unchanged at large.
Inside, the colour scheme is now Black and tan, with faux wood inserts. The infotainment system is a 7-inch touchscreen with wireless Carplay and Android Auto, there are steering-mounted controls, roof-mounted AC vents, semi-digital instrumentation and more. Overall kit levels remain identical to that of the Suzuki.
Under the hood, is MSIL’s 1.5l K15C mild hybrid petrol engine with a maximum power of 103bhp and 138Nm of peak torque. The powertrain will come with a 5-speed manual and a 6AT transmission. A 88 hp CNG version will also be available but with a manual gearbox alone.
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Toyota’s Business Plans With Rumion
Brand loyalty plays a key role in shaping business in the MPV space, and Innova already has a good reputation. Toyota’s plan is to use ‘MPV major’ image to provide a better purchase and ownership experience to the buyer and thus persuade them to buy it over the Maruti Suzuki counterpart.
Toyota has recently been getting slammed by customers for lengthy wait times, which can be over a year for some variants of the Hyryder and Innova Hycross. The Rumion will be built and supplied by Maruti, and will thus in fixed monthly numbers. But to make sure that it doesn’t become another Toyota with long wait times, the manufacturer has plans of adopting a ‘first in first out’ delivery strategy, wherein orders will be tracked from all over India and deliveries prioritised based on their sequences.
Toyota Rumion Price And Launch Date
While we expect it to start somewhere around 8.7 lakh, the official prices will be revealed at its market launch in October 2023.
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