GaadiWaadi –
Diesel to remain the mainstay for Toyota’s D-segment and larger ladder-frame SUVs, namely the Fortuner and Land Cruiser 300, as well as the Hilux
Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM)’s collaboration with Maruti Suzuki has helped it pivot from diesel for the majority of its line-up, but in certain segments, diesel remains the king. As a result, the company has no plans to entirely exit diesel in the foreseeable future.
Rebadged Maruti Suzukis aside, most Toyotas selling well in India are heavily reliant on punchy diesel engines. The Innova Crysta and Fortuner, especially, are popular mainly because of the availability of diesel engines. Sabari Manohar, Group Head – Customer Service Group, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, has said that diesel has hardcore fans and certain segments are purely diesel, like the Innova Crysta, for instance.
The demand for diesel may be scattered due to different regulations in some regions, but it’s strong enough not to discount it altogether. That said, the CAFE 3 norms that will come into effect in April 2027 will put pressure on TKM to shrink its diesel portfolio.
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The Innova Crysta generates good volumes nearly a decade after its launch, yet TKM will discontinue it by early next year as part of a broader portfolio realignment. The company has no plans to stop offering a diesel engine in the Fortuner or the Hilux, though. It will likely upgrade the 1GD-FTV 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine to comply with BS 7 emission norms expected to be introduced later this decade.
Toyota carried over the 1GD-FTV engine from the eighth-gen Hilux into the ninth-gen model it introduced at the end of last year, and that is the only diesel option it offers in the latest pickup truck. We expect it to follow a similar strategy for the third-gen Fortuner, which it may launch in India in 2027. TKM is unlikely to offer any locally manufactured models with a diesel engine in the future, though.
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In 2028, TKM plans to launch the Land Cruiser FJ, the new C-segment body-on-frame SUV it introduced at the end of last year. The company assembles the Fortuner from imported CKD kits, but it will manufacture the Land Cruiser FJ. Expected to be priced around 30 lakh rupees (ex-showroom), though, the smaller model would still be quite expensive for a Mahindra Scorpio-N rival.
The 1GD-FTV engine would be a fitting choice for a model like the Land Cruiser FJ, but TKM has planned only petrol and petrol-based electrified variants. Interestingly, the latter will include not only a full-hybrid but also a plug-in hybrid option.
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