Toyota cars are known for their reliability and quality. But not so much for the gadgets it comes with, especially in the Fortuner and Innova. These two cars may be the best selling Toyota cars in respective segments. But the infotainment and music system it comes with, do not match the overall premium features of the car.
In a bid to improve the same, Toyota has added new features to the 2019 Innova and 2019 Fortuner. One of these is the larger 9 inch touchscreen infotainment system with improved sensitivity to touch. This new touchscreen display replaces the older 7 inch system. It also gets more features and apps. It is also compatible with Apple CarPlay and Andorid Auto.
There has been no other change made in the dashboard. As you can see in the image below, the 7 inch touchscreen system had manual buttons on either side, as well as a slot for CD disc on top. These have been removed in order to accommodate the larger 9 inch touchscreen system.
For now, the larger touchscreen infotainment system is on offer by Toyota in Malaysia. Price of Fortuner with the 9 inch touchscreen remains same as before, but that of Innova has been increased by about RM 2,000 (approx Rs 34,000). Toyota Innova and Fortuner with larger 9 inch touchscreen system is expected to be launched in India soon, maybe ahead of Diwali 2019, when the car maker expects higher sales demand.
In India, the Innova is sold as Innova Crysta. Its position in the Indian auto industry has been unrivalled. Offered in a choice of petrol and diesel engine options, it is the diesel variants of Innova Crysta and Fortuner which are more in demand. For both Toyota cars, the ratio between sales of diesel and petrol version is 99:1.
This shows how huge the demand is for the diesel engined Innova and Fortuner. But with the upcoming BS6 norms, Toyota might get affected the most. Implementation of BS6 will result in increase of diesel car prices by 15-20%, said Toyota. This means, price of Fortuner will potentially increase by Rs 4-5 lakhs while that of Innova Crysta will increase by about Rs 2-3 lakhs.
It is being reported that future generation of Innova and Fortuner, Toyota is working on a petrol hybrid motor. These will not only be less expensive than diesel BS6 models, but will also deliver more power than diesel version, and be more fuel efficient. Launch of new gen Innova and Fortuner is expected by 2021.