Last year, there were speculations regarding the launch of the Toyota Vios in Pakistan. However, despite some media outlets confirming the news, Toyota has changed its plans.
Reports claim that Toyota has been aiming to put an end to their production of Corolla XLi and GLi and replace it with Yaris sedan. Previously, the idea was to launch the Vios instead, but it was shelved due to the crumbling of rupee against the dollar.
As per the reports, Toyota Yaris has already been spotted in Pakistan; a camouflaged test mule was spotted on the M2 Motorway:
A simple search reveals that the registration number BQQ-861 belongs to IMC and the 1329cc sedan was registered on 19th of August 2019.
The automotive experts believe that one reason why Toyota has opted for Yaris instead of Vios is because of the price difference between both cars. Vios is available in the international market for Rs. 28,00,000 whereas Yaris is much cheaper and will be launched around the price range of Rs. 19,00,000.
A source close to the matter informed that the crisis faced by the automotive industry in Pakistan has affected each company’s plans. For Toyota, their Corolla manufacturer Indus Motor Company was closed for a total of 12 days in the month of July.
In response to this, the executive of IMC said:
The steep increase in car prices after currency devaluation as well as the imposition of Advance Customs Duty (ACD) on all imports and Federal Excise Duty (FED) on assembled cars has left us no option but to cut down the plant production.
Following this debacle, the company representatives released the information regarding the Vios-Yaris situation, which could prove to be the right call as Yaris will capitalize on the same market as XLi and GLi did as opposed to Vios, which is more expensive.
The decision to change up their lineup is mainly down to the extreme competition in the market following the introduction of Kia, Proton and Hyundai.
