At its Bidadi facility, Toyota has started a third shift, the company recently announced via a press release. This is the single plant the Japanese automaker has in India, where it manufactures its MPVs and SUVs. The automaker has long been intending to boost its output in the country and the latest development comes in light of this vision. The Innova Hycross, the Innova Crysta, and the Fortuner SUVs are being produced at Toyota's first facility in India, which was established in Bidadi, Karnataka, back in 1999. The annual capacity of this factory is up to one lakh units. The Hilux, the Urban Cruiser Hyryder, and the Camry hybrid (together with the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara) are manufactured in the company's second India facility, which is also located in Bidadi. This facility has a capacity of 2.10 lakh units per year.
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Toyota Fortuner, Innova Waiting Period to Go Down
Toyota's manufacturing capacity for the Innova, the Fortuner, and the Hycross will rise from 380 to 510 units per day with the addition of a third shift, bringing its total capacity in India to almost 4,000 vehicles per year. Sources claim that this will also assist Toyota in reducing its enormous order backlog, which now totals more than 1.2 lakh vehicles. These orders, which tally over 70,000 units, are mostly for the Innova Hycross and the Crysta. The increase in capacity will also aid in meeting the demand for the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, which, together with the Toyota Hyryder, is manufactured at the Toyota facility.
The carmaker had to stop taking reservations for the top Innova Hycross models some time ago due to an exponentially growing order backlog. The Innova Crysta's manufacturing was also stopped in the latter part of last year, and in February 2023, a diesel-only version of the vehicle was released. The expansion comes just in time since by July this year, Toyota will also be providing the Innova Hycross to Maruti as a Maruti-badged vehicle that will be sold through Nexa stores and require more capacity.
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Here's What Toyota Has to Say
According to information provided by the manufacturer, the goal of the step is to increase annual production from the present level of somewhere around 1 lakh units to more than 30,000 units. As per the company's official press release, third-shift operations will result in a near 25% increase in new jobs in the state. The company also disclosed that Toyota Kirloskar Motor's current workforce, which includes both production and non-production personnel, numbers 6000 people.
Sudeep Dalvi, Chief Communication Officer, of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, commented on this latest development and the company's expansion, saying that the brand is really happy to see the market responding favourably to their whole product lineup. He also expressed gratitude to his workers for their assistance. Additionally, Dalvi stated that the firm remained committed to its goal to produce ever-better and more environmentally friendly automobiles, supporting India's vision of "Make in India" and sustainable mobility.
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