Toyota aims to strengthen SUV market with Fortuner
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia is an important market for Toyota; therefore, PT Toyota Astra Motor (TAM) has continually released new products in a bid to maintain its 30 percent share in the domestic automotive market.
After successfully launched the Kijang Innova last year, for which the company had already received 14,000 orders before the car's official release, TAM, the Indonesian arm of Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. launched its latest sports utility vehicle (SUV), called the Fortuner.
The Fortuner is expected to boost sales of the SUV segment in the country to more than 30,000 units.
"The presence of the Fortuner has made us upbeat that we can compete in the SUV market," TAM president director Johnny Dharmawan said when he officiated at the launch of the car recently at the 13th Gaikindo Auto Expo.
Available in 4x4 and 4x2 variants, the Fortuner has been on the market since early June. Within a month, TAM had received 1,600 orders for 3,300 units to be offered to Indonesia's market this year.
With masculine looks -- combining Toyota's high-end Land Cruiser's front and the Harrier's tail designs -- the seven- seater car has 16-valve advanced DOHC Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence (VVT-i) 2.7-l under its hood. The engine will produce maximum output of 158 horsepower at 5,200 revs per minute (rpm). It also has maximum torque of 24.6 kgm at 3,800 rpm.
The car's interior cabin is quite spacious. If you want to load a large item, such as a bicycle, just fold the middle and back seats.
Indonesian customers, who are familiar with poor road conditions, are likely to be interested in the limited-slip differential (LSD) facility, which is designed for optimum stability under all road conditions.
As safety becomes of primary concern, the Fortuner has both active and passive safety systems. The active systems include ABS (anti-lock braking system) and EBD (electronic brake force distribution system).
Passive systems include collapsible steering column, dual SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) Airbags and back sonar system to help detect the safe range when parking, as well as an alarm that is integrated within the key.
How have Indonesian consumers responded to the newly launched Fortuner? As a rough indication, 200 units were sold on day four of the 10-day expo.
For the Indonesian market, TAM is offering three variants: the 2.7 G A/T 4x2; 2.7 G Luxury A/T 4x2; and 2.7 V A/T 4x4. The car has on-the-road price tags of Rp 295 million (US$30,210), Rp 307 million and Rp 353 million respectively.
"This is not the complete line-up of the Fortuner. We still have a diesel-engined type that will be launched later this year after observing the market response to these three models," Johnny said. (006)