• By Divanshi Sharma
  • Fri, 05 Apr 2024 06:40 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

Toyota Innova Hycross Waiting Period: Toyota and Maruti Suzuki have played a big part in making hybrid cars more accessible in India. This has led to a huge demand for the Innova Hycross hybrid, causing long waiting periods of over a year. However, according to an Autocar report, Toyota is working hard to reduce this waiting time to less than six months by the end of this year.

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Sabari Manohar, Group Head, Customer Services at Toyota India told Autocar that over half of the Innova Hycross sales are for the hybrid models. He further added, “After we launched the vehicle, we did some market study. What they like, of course, is the fuel efficiency. Secondly, the cabin is so silent. Customers are able to get the experiences of an EV, which is new for everyone. Then they understand that this is the best of both worlds,” said Manohar, reasoning the uptake of the hybrid variants. “Initially, we had to do a lot of homework in terms of communicating what a hybrid is. But now, customers are able to embrace this fully.”

Interestingly, even fleet buyers prefer the base-spec hybrid variant over the cheaper petrol models because they can recover the hybrid's cost premium through extensive mileage and excellent fuel economy. Despite the high demand, Toyota faced challenges due to limited production capacity and semiconductor shortages. They had to halt bookings temporarily but have recently reopened them. Toyota's increased production capacity, including adding a third shift at its plant, aims to address the demand surge. This third shift has boosted capacity by 32 percent, mainly focusing on hybrid variant production.

Manohar highlighted efforts to enhance plant efficiency and streamline the supply chain to manage waiting periods better in the near future. “There has been an increased effort to enhance the efficiency of throughput in the plants. There has also been streamlining of whatever small bottlenecks that existed in the supply chain. So I think the waiting periods will be within very manageable levels soon,” he added.  

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While there's a push for electric vehicles (EVs) in the market, hybrids like the Innova Hycross are gaining popularity due to their convenience, affordability, and existing infrastructure support. In conclusion, Toyota's focus on improving internal processes reflects the growing acceptance of hybrids in India. Despite the higher cost compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts and the EV push, hybrids are becoming a more preferred alternative.