Company officially clarifies that the Innova diesel passed the latest COP test held in June-July and that there is no stoppage of diesel Innova problem.
Reacting to a report in Autocar Professional that inferred Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has failed the latest round COP test that led to a halt in Innova diesel production, the company has released an official statement. “The story done by you today is totally incorrect and false.We stand by our response and clarify once again the following.
1) Toyota Innova Crysta production (both Diesel and Petrol) is continuing as per plan.
2) There has been no failure of COP test on Toyota Innova Crysta(both Petrol & Diesel) as mentioned in your article.
Autocar Professional had earlier reached out to TKM for clarification on a source based story which said the Innova diesel had failed the latest round of Conformity of Production (COP) tests for emissions conducted by the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), for its diesel engine variants and that production of the Innova diesel.
The initial response by an email from TKM when specifically asked if production of the Innova diesel had stopped was an ambiguous “We continue to produce the Innova Crysta at our plant in Bidadi, Karnataka” without specifically stating if production of the diesel-powered Crysta had stopped. The petrol Crysta continues to be produced and in fact the company just launched the Innova Crysta Limited Edition, based on the GX petrol.
When asked a pointed question if the Innova faced an emission issue in the latest COP test the answer was an equally evasive “All Toyota models, including the Innova Crysta continue to meet all regulatory requirements consistently.”
After the story broke, TKM reached out with a proper clarification.
However sources within the supplier industry and dealer community suggest that production of the diesel Innova may have stopped. “We have been told by Toyota that production of the diesel has been stopped but is likely to restart in March 2023” said a key supplier to Toyota on condition of anonymity. This also suggests that the existing Innova will continue alongside the all-new Innova (code 560B) which will be powered by petrol and petrol-hybrid options (no diesel) and is expected by the end of this year.
While TKM remains tightlipped about the entire situation, the series of events over the last few weeks has sparked speculation in the market, especially among awaiting and potential customers as well as its own dealer partners who are now a worried lot. A dealer representative, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that they had been unofficially informed by the company that production of the diesel Crysta had stopped, the reason being the prevalent Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE-2) norms that have warranted a shift in mix away from diesels. But with diesel engines offering far superior fuel efficiency compared to petrol counterparts, this rationale seems to defy logic and dealers are left dissatisfied with TKM’s lack of a proper explanation.
TKM has dismissed these reports “as speculation and without any basis” but with the festive season looming, dealers are a worried lot as existing stock might only last another month and most showrooms are looking at exhausting inventories of the diesel Crysta well before the festive seasonThe company, however, is likely to fulfill all bookings for the diesel variants received until early August within the stipulated delivery time. However, customers who were able to book one anytime later last month, will see deliveries being pushed further, possibly into the next calendar year. It is learnt that customers are also being offered a full refund of their booking amount due to likely unavailability of diesel cars, and many are also being pushed by dealers to opt for the petrol variants.
The original story is now updated with this report.