Toyota to make car to compete with Gol and Palio
O Estado de S. Paulo 09/09/10
The Japanise Toyota, largest automaker in the world, has ambitious plans for the Brazilian market. The company started yesterday, in Sorocaba (SP), the erection of its plant that will produce, as of the second half of 2012, compact cars to compete with the Volkswagen Gol and Fiat Palio. "The segment of compact models is the largest in Brazil, with 70% of the total market", said Luiz Carlos Andrade Jr., Senior Vice President of Toyota. "It is natural that we have the Gol and Palio as competitors". Toyota currently has a market share of only 3%. The goal is to increase such a share to 8% when the new plant is fully operational.The initial productive capacity in Sorocaba will be of 70 thousand units, but the company is authorized to get to 400 thousand. The event for the launching of the cornerstone of the new plant was attended by Atsushi Niimi, Executive Vice President of the headquarters, Toyota Motor Corporation. "Brazil is important for the international growth of Toyota", Niimi pointed out. "This year the country should become the fourth largest market in the world, surpassing Germany."
Last year, 3.14 million cars were sold in Brazil. The leader of the world market is China, followed by the United States and Japan. According to analysts, until the end of the Decade, Brazil should also exceed Japan, becoming the third largest market. "Since 2006, we have the dream of offering a car with high quality, high performance and at a lower price" said Shozo Hasebe, President of Toyota Mercosur. "Brazil has shown a steady growth in recent years. We believe the growth will continue in the coming years". According to executives, the compact will look something like the Etios, presented this year in India, but adapted for the needs of the Brazilian market.