Toyota has zeroed in on India as its global manufacturing hub for small cars. The car maker is also planning to make India an export base for mid-size cars. Toyota is the fourth car manufacturer that’s eyeing India as a global export hub for small cars, after Hyundai, Maruti, and Nissan.

According to automobile industry reports, the car maker is likely to go ahead and make public the plans of its much awaited small car by September 2007. The company is reportedly focusing on manufacturing for world markets, which is said to involve bigger investments. Toyota’s small car is expected to be rolled out on a new platform and will be developed in a new plant that might come up near their existing unit in Bidadi. However, it is still unknown as to whether Toyota would join hands with Daihatsu for the Bidadi manufacturing project.

Experts have pointed out that with India turning into an export hub for many car makers, the country is likely to export its small cars to emerging markets like Brazil, Argentina, Europe, Malaysia, and South Africa. These nations are in fact fast emerging as huge small car markets.

Meanwhile, Hyundai has ear-marked 50 per cent of its 600,000 unit production in 2010 to be exported and Maruti is looking at the SAARC region and West Asia as newer markets and is aiming at 30 per cent exports of their production. Yet another player, Nissan, which has a collaboration with Maruti, plans to export 50,000 units of small cars to Europe.

Auto news for auto freaks! iDrive.in
DWS community! / Cricket blog
DWS F1 News