Our entry into the compact SUV space comes at a time when the segment has gained much popularity due to its body type and superior road presence thereby garnering greater connect and appeal among today’s youth

oyota is well known for its safety features – the Urban Cruiser offers dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, advanced body structure, electrochromic IRVM (Inside Rear-View Mirror), hill hold control, reverse parking camera with display in audio and ISOFIX child seat restraint system.

To promote the product, TKM roped in Ayushmann Khurrana, Bollywood actor, as its brand ambassador. “We are truly humbled by the faith reposed by the customers who made the bookings without even knowing the price points and the full list of features. To demonstrate our gratitude and provide an early-movers advantage for customers who pre-booked the Urban Cruiser, we recently announced the ‘Respect Package’, no-cost periodic maintenance for up to two years (or 20,000 km, whichever is earlier), that our customers are appreciating,” said Naveen Soni, senior vice president, sales and service, TKM.

“We are glad to bring our new offering in time for customers to make their festive season purchase decisions. We are anticipating increased demand for SUVs in the coming months and years. The Toyota Urban Cruiser will play an important role in catering to this demand, particularly from first-time Toyota buyers who are brand conscious and want to experience an international brand,” added Soni. The company opened bookings for the Urban Cruiser in mid-August, but has not disclosed any numbers.

As per the India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) August 2020 report the auto industry recorded sales volume growth of 2 per cent year-on-year (yoy) in August 2020 (excluding CVs), the first time this has happened since November 2018. This growth was primarily led by the start of the festive season in certain parts of the country and inventory build-up at the dealers’ level to cater to a likely further rise in demand during October and November 2020. After the washout in April 2020, the auto industry reported a month-on-month increase in sales over May-August 2020.