New Delhi, 5th September 2008- Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (TKM), today announced launch of the All-New Corolla Altis at the "India Expo Centre - Greater Noida". Present at the occasion were Mr.Yasuhiko Yokoi, Managing Officer, Mr. Soichiro Okudaira, Managing Officer & Mr. Yasuyuki Kawamoto; Chief Engineer - Corolla Altis, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC). Mr. Vikram Kirloskar; Vice Chairman, Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa; Managing Director & Mr. Sandeep Singh; Deputy Managing Director ; Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (TKM).

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (TKM) introduced the 9th Generation Corolla in India in 2003. This introduction triggered a surge in demand for Premium Mid-size Sedan models in India. Since then, Corolla has set the benchmark for this segment and has met requests from the Indian Market with innovative luxury, designed to satisfy the auto consumer's appetite for perfection. Reflecting this, Corolla earned the No. 1 ranking in the JD Power IQS rankings for 2 consecutive years in 2003 & 2004. Corolla's good acceptance has also inspired several auto majors to explore the possibility of introducing models in the Premium Mid-size Sedan segment.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Yasuhiko Yokoi, Managing Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) said, "Corolla has been a true symbol of Toyota passenger cars, and has contributed to the growth of the vehicle industry all over the world, with sales of over 30 million units so far. As you may know, Toyota's global sales volume was 8.4 million units last year, including 4.1 million units of passenger cars. The global sales figure of Corolla was 1.3 million last year, accounting for more than 30% of Toyota's global passenger car sales. And I'm very glad to introduce this very important 10th generation car here in India today!"

Mr. Soichiro Okudaira, Managing Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) said, "The concept this time is Happy Corolla for Our Planet. This model has been developed based upon a global point of view to maximize customer satisfaction. The DNA that has been handed down for 40 years is alive and well today. Displaying technology and concepts that are always ahead of time, our mission has been to create a new generation car. The challenge was to surpass the Toyota quality and realize a "Quality Revolution". To achieve that, we repeated the evaluation test called "5m impression" to pursue quality appealing to the five senses. The 5m impression, in particular, includes an item that appeals to customers before they get into the car, like styling. An item for feeling an immediate difference after getting into the car, like the sound of doors closing, the comfort of sitting in the seat. And an item for experiencing an immediate difference after the vehicle starts moving, like smoothness of the steering thanks to EPS, use of electronic throttle which makes the vehicle move smoothly. As a result of our efforts to always keep Indian customers firmly in mind, I think you'll find we arrived at a more than satisfactory result".

Mr. Yasuyuki Kawamoto, Chief Engineer - Corolla Altis of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) said, Based on this global theme, the new Corolla Altis for Indian customers is refined as "One Class Above" with indisputable quality and dignity, which is beyond any other car in its segment. For Indian customers, we set two priorities. The first was styling. We wanted to create a dynamic & distinctive feel for outstanding presence. The second priority was luxury & advanced features. For safety we have High Intensity discharge (HID) Head Lamp, Automatic Electro chromatic (EC) inner mirror. For comfort we have developed 8-way power driver seat, Audio Controls and MID Switch on the steering and many more. Towards the fun to drive aspect, we provided the Sequential shift, which lets you enjoy the feel of manual driving even in the automatic variant. Cruise control, Telescopic steering for all variants, Electric Power Steering ensures a comfortable ride. So I am confident that we have created a "One class above" vehicle for the Indian customers.

Mr. Vikram Kirloskar, Vice Chairman, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) said, This year's target is to sell 63,000 vehicles. And by fiscal 2015 we are aiming for a market share of about 10%, the Altis marks our big step towards the achievement of this goal. We are also planning to introduce several new models in the near future to meet this goal. Regarding the small car that everyone has been waiting for, we aim to start Production and Sales around the end of 2010 or early 2011. So get ready for even more excitement!

Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa, Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) said, To help everyone become more familiar with this incredibly advanced new Corolla, we gave it the name "Altis," which is derived from the word "altitudinous" meaning "the Absolute Superiority". Our goal is to sell an average of 2,000 vehicles a month. And as the name implies, we aim to make the Altis the best-selling car in its class. Up until now, Corolla has been popular with businessmen. But making it attractive to young executives will create a new market in the C segment. Altis's main selling point is Toyota's unparalleled quality, and our ambition is for the Corolla Altis to revolutionize Indian consumers' quality expectations, raising them to a higher level. It is to communicate this message to the Indian market that we have also changed our corporate slogan to "Quality Revolution".

Mr. Sandeep Singh, Dy. Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) said, We are offering the Corolla Altis in three grades, the 1.8 G M/T, the 1.8 G(L) M/T and a top-end grade 1.8 V(L) A/T model. The Corolla now delivers max power of 130 HP, which is 7 hp higher than the earlier model. The 1.8G M/T grade which is an equivalent of the previous H2 model, has been improved by the addition of features like Electric Power Steering, Optitron Combination Meter, Multi-information Display, Steering wheel with Audio Controls & MID switch and many more. The medium-grade 1.8G (L) M/T model has features like HID headlamps with washers and 8-Way Power Driver Seats with Power Lumbar Support.
And the top-grade 1.8V (L) A/T model has features like Cruise Control and Gate Shift Type Auto Transmission with Sequential Shift.
On the sales front, we are planning a marketing blitz with simultaneous 100 events at shopping malls, airports and showroom nationwide. It will be an all-out effort, starting tomorrow, to bring more customers into contact with the car by showcasing the Altis throughout India.

The All-New Corolla Altis is the second Corolla launched in India. The theme of this car is "Happy Corolla for our Planet" and its mission is to appeal to consumers' five senses. Toyota's objectives for the launch include further consolidation of Toyota's position in the premium mid-size segment with its renowned and internationally celebrated product, getting out the key messages and vision of the management, and projecting Toyota as a leading automobile player in India. To achieve these objectives, Toyota will implement a two-phase plan of a pre-event and launch event strategy.
The vehicle's features include an 8-way power driver's seat, HID headlamps, steering wheel with audio controls and MID switch, and an Optitron meter.
The Toyota Altis comes in 3 grades: the 1.8 G M/T, the 1.8 G (L) M/T, and the top-end 1.8 V (L) A/T Model. The Corolla now delivers max power of 130 HP, 7 HP higher than the previous model.
Toyota in India is targeting at achieving Corolla Altis sales of 2000 units per month in the year 2008.
Toyota is launching a Marketing Blitz at 100 shopping malls, airports, and showrooms across the country.

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