Toyota has reportedly brought an end to the production of the current-generation Innova MPV, and is understood to be readying its facility to handle the production of the next-gen Crysta model that made its debut at the Auto Expo 2016.
Toyota launched the Innova in India in 2005 as a replacement for the Qualis. The MPV was a more premium offering and came with a choice of a 2.5-litre diesel engine and a 2.0-litre petrol which was later discontinued. The Innova went on to become a runaway success for the Japanese automaker and a segment leader in the country. Over a decade later, the Innova – a bestseller for Toyota – has managed to shift over half a million units, though the Maruti Ertiga has displaced it at the top of the MPV sales chart.
The company updated the Innova a total of three times in the last decade with most of the changes being cosmetic in nature. A major mechanical update to the MPV was the addition of an intercooler on the diesel engine though the engine saw no major boost in power. In 2011, the MPV achieved its best ever sales with the latest update to the MPV rocketing sales to 75,911 units for the year.
With the new Innova Crysta, which was awarded 4-star safety rating by Asean NCAP, is not only bigger and more spacious than the outgoing one, but also better equipped. The upcoming MPV will also be more powerful than its predecessor, with a family of new downsized 2.4-litre and 2.8-litre diesel engines replacing the car’s current engines. Toyota also did state that a petrol engine may also me a possibility given the uncertainty on diesel engines.
Toyota will launch the new Innova Crysta in the coming months.