Japanese carmaker Toyota recently inaugurated an engine plant in Bengaluru which will manufacture its GD series range of engines – the 2.4-litre and 2.8-litre units. Set up with an investment of Rs 1,100 crore, the plant is Toyota’s first GD engine plant in India and third globally, after Japan and Thailand.

The engines power Toyota’s latest offering, the Innova Crysta, and will also be used in the new Fortuner which will be launched next year.  

The Innova Crysta MT gets the 2.4-litre engine while the AT model comes with the 2.8-litre motor. Toyota claims the 2.4-litre 2GD-FTV engine is 47 percent more powerful and 13 percent more fuel efficient, and the 2.8-litre 1GD-FTV engine is 71 percent more powerful and 7 percent more fuel efficient, in comparison to the earlier engine.

The new plant is set up by Toyota Industries Engine India (TIEI), a joint venture between Kirloskar Systems (KSL) and Toyota Industries Corporation - Japan (TICO).

With a production capacity of 1,08,000 units a year, the facility manufactures engines in compliance with BS-IV/Euro IV emission standards with an additional provision to upgrade to BS-V and VI with minimum investment and lead time in the future, according to the carmaker.

The company, which has been hit hard by the ban on the sale of vehicles above 2,000 cc in Delhi-NCR, recently saw a revival in sales in May on the back of upbeat demand for the Innova Crysta. The Crysta drove into the Top 10 selling passenger vehicles in May raking up sales of 7,259 units.  
“The government of India is equally concerned about increasing pollution. In this regard, we will take a comprehensive view about the current diesel ban on vehicles above 2,000cc, both on the development and environment front along with its impact on the investment climate,” Anant Geete, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises said at the plant opening.