Toyota to invest Rs 900 cr to up production in India

Japanese car giant Toyota will be investing Rs 900 crore (Rs 9 billion) in India to increase production capacity at its Bangalore facility by March next year, a top company official said on Thursday.

The company, which is present in India through a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group, will be increasing the capacity of its plant in Bengaluru to 310,000 units per annum by March next year from 210,000 units at present.

"We will invest Rs 900 crore (Rs 9 billion) to expand the capacity of our Bengaluru plant by March next year.

"The production capacity will increase to 310,000 annually from the 210,000 units at present," Toyota Kirloskar Motor vice-chairman Vikram Kirloskar told reporters in Mumbai, on the sidelines of the annual convention of SIAM or the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

He added that most of these

investments and increase in production would be for hiking the capacity of Innova and Etios.

On the company's plans to set up a diesel engine manufacturing plant, TKM managing director Hiroshi Nakagawa said: "It is under discussion and we have not taken any decision yet. It will take time".

Last month, the company had said it was unable to convince its Japanese parent to invest on a diesel engine manufacturing plant in India due of the lack of clarity in pricing policy of the fuel in the country.

In April this year, TKM is understood to have put forward a proposal to set up the plant after the Budget for 2012-13 spared diesel vehicles from additional taxes.

There has been a demand to increase taxes of diesel passenger vehicles from different quarters to prevent usage of the subsidised fuel for 'luxury'.

However, the automobile industry has been asking the government to deregulate diesel price in line with petrol.