Toyota Etios response at the showroom

Now that it has been more than a month since the Etios was launched on 1st December 2010 and we at ZigWheels, decided to do a quick survey across showrooms in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune to checkout what's the public opinion on the new Toyota.

Toyota knew it had to get it spot-on to capture the premium hatch and saloon segment and to do so it did four-years of extensive market research and came up with a car that has excited almost everyone, the Toyota Etios.

Coincidently, the first customer whom we encountered at the Gurgaon dealership was the first to book this car in the Delhi-NCR region. After taking a closer look at the Etios, OP Dhariwala's (an auto-mobile engineer and an ex-IAF) first reaction was, "The boot space is zabardast!" When asked what made him book the car without even taking a test drive, he said, "I have driven almost all cars in India, but the Etios was a fresh choice from the lot with competitive pricing and for me the name of the brand Toyota was enough to book it."

There were also other loyal customers of Toyota, who simply booked the car because of the trust they hold in the brand. "I was zapped at the first look of the Toyota Etios in the advertisements. I chose this car over other entry level sedans currently on offer in the market because of the Toyota brand and the competitive pricing," said Dhawan, a businessman in Pune. Sanjay Bafna, of the Bafna Industries, Pune also echoed a similar opinion.

Apart from the cut-throat pricing, another factor that could have impressed an Indian buyer is the space for his family and there is no questioning the fact that the design and styling of the Toyota Etios is well proportioned and balanced. Thanks to the long wheelbase! "When I visited the Toyota showroom, I was told that the Etios even with its modest pricing is as spacious as the Manza, which I already own  and being a Toyota car, and owing to our overall satisfaction with the brand, we have decided to go with the Etios," said Hitesh Pagariya, Director, Topaz Cement, Private Ltd.