Soon To Complete 10 Years in India, Toyota Fortuner Still Dominating SUV Segment

• Published On: 28 June 2019
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Almost 10 Years Later, Toyota Fortuner Still Ruling SUV Segment in India

There is no denying the fact that Toyota Fortuner is tremendously popular in India. The reliability, brand image, and rough and tough nature all combined make this Japanese full-size SUV pretty popular in India. The extent of the popularity of the SUV can be expressed by the fact that in the 10 years that the Japanese SUV has been in the market, it has forever remained on the top of the sales charts in the country. It was a while back that the brand had stated that it had sold more than 1 lakh units of the Fortuner SUV in India.

Even the presence of larger true-blue American muscle SUV rivals like Ford Endeavour and feature packed German rivals like the Skoda Kodiaq, Fortuner continues to hold fort and the sales never waver. The average sales of the Fortuner in the Indian market are close to 1,500 units per month. In the next few months, the Japanese SUV will complete a full decade in the Indian market and no SUV in the segment will still come close to challenging the absolute dominance of the SUV in the Indian market.

Back when the Toyota Fortuner had crossed the 1 lakh unit sales mark, the director of sales and marketing at Toyota Kirloskar Motors India, N Raja had stated, 

“Ever since its launch in India in 2009, the Fortuner has done exceptionally well and has been a leader in its segment. The Fortuner’s wide spread popularity is its testimony to the fact that it is a value for money product. The cost of ownership of the vehicle is also low when compared to other vehicles in its segment. The Fortuner also enjoys a high resale value due to the proven and admired mettle of the vehicle. We are confident that with the all-new second generation Fortuner, we will be able to further build the brand’s success story in India as it has been resonating from global markets alike.”

Taking a look back at the first edition of the Toyota Fortuner in the Indian market, it was first launched here in 2009. The first gen model of the SUV in the Indian market came with a 3L diesel engine. Currently, the company offers the Fortuner in the Indian market with both diesel engine and petrol engine options. The 2.7L petrol engine option of the Fortuner is rated to deliver 164 Bhp and 245 Nm. The petrol engine comes mated to either a 6-speed manual gearbox or an automatic gearbox. The diesel engine is a 3L unit that comes with the option of an automatic as well as manual unit, the manual unit is rated to deliver 175 Bhp and 420 Nm, while the auto box diesel unit deliver 175 Bhp and 450 Nm. The Toyota Fortuner takes on the likes of Honda CR-V, Ford Endeavour, Skoda Kodiaq, and Mahindra Alturas among others in the market.