Toyota Vellfire India launch confirmed: What to expect

Toyota India recently announced that it will be launching the Vellfire in India by the first half of 2020. The luxury MPV will arrive via the CBU route and is expected to be priced between Rs 85 lakh to Rs 90 lakh (ex-showroom).

Toyota has already introduced the MPV to the country and select dealers across Bengaluru have begun accepting bookings for a token amount of Rs 5 lakh. The MPV gets an upright nose with a chrome-laden grille and sleek split-LED headlamps. It gets dual-tone alloy wheels, as well as split-LED tail lamps that are connected by a thick chrome strip.

It has a six-seater layout and the middle row gets two prominent seats. These seats can be rotated to face the third-row occupants, while the MPV also gets a centrally mounted screen to watch movies. The seats are heated and ventilated, and the Vellfire gets an electronically operated footrest and tray tables.

Toyota has equipped the Vellfire with a 2.5-litre, petrol-hybrid unit which makes 180 PS of maximum power and 235 Nm of peak torque. It is mated to a CVT gearbox which sends power to all the wheels. However, it will be challenging for Toyota to fare against the popular diesel MPVs which are preferable in India.

The Vellfire will be pitted against the Mercedes-Benz V-Class upon launch, which does not have a direct rival in its segment yet. It is expected to be priced between Rs 85 lakh to Rs 90 lakh (ex-showroom).