Toyota EFC Entry Family Car Supermini

TOYOTA HAS ANNOUNCED today that it will unveil a new ultra-small car at the upcoming New Delhi Auto Show in India, first reported in November last year. Designed to take on the Tata Nano and the Suzuki Alto, the new supermini – codenamed EFC (Entry Family Car) – will be offered in India, Russia and Latin America for under AU$10,000. The small car will join 13 other production and concept Toyota vehicles at the New Delhi show, which kicks off on January 5. Toyota, the world’s biggest carmaker, said it plans to begin production of the new car in India late next year, with Brazilian production due in 2011.

This is the most crucial launch for the company. Considering that this Auto Expo is going to be one dominated by small cars, and that the market for the entry level car segment is exploding in India, all eyes would be on the small car launch. What we see will be a prototype – the final product is at least an year away, we think. Would Toyota show something that is close to the production version, and give some hints as to the price of the small car? What we are all pretty sure is that it is not the Toyota Yaris. The engine is likely to be 1200 cc.

The EFC small car will battle for attention with other small cars such as the one from Hyundai, the Chevrolet Beat and the Ford Figo. This is Toyota’s most ambitious venture in India, and the company is targeting 70,000 units production in the first year. Hatchback and sedan versions of the EFC small car will be displayed by Toyota. The car is also planned for export to the BRIC countries, but India will be the main market. According to what we hear, this car would be priced at around Rs 5 lakh, and positioned against the Suzuki Swift and the Hyundai i20.