TKM launches concept cars for Etios Motor Racing Trophy

January 06, 2012

TKM launches concept cars for Etios Motor Racing Trophy

6.1.12

Wheelsology

No comments

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (TKM) today unveiled the concept cars of its upcoming Etios Motor Racing Trophy, one make racing series. Continuing the Company’s global legacy of motorsports, the racing tourney will be supported by one of the most accomplished and
acclaimed companies in motorsport history – TRD (Toyota Racing Development), the corporate brand from the Toyota affiliate, Toyota Technocraft Co. Ltd.

This new venture from Toyota comes close on the heels of the very successful launches of the Etios, Etios Liva and their diesel versions, all introduced in over a span of a year. The Etios brand was introduced in the mass segment with a youthful vibe, and the motorsport venture is an extension of the new image that Toyota is creating in India. Toyota’s foray into motorsport in the country also comes at a time when the popularity of the sport is gaining momentum, more so after the resounding success of the first ever Indian F1 race in October last year.

The EMR Trophy series that is slated to be held in the second half of 2013 will be based on a one-make racing championship platform, comprising of 5-6 individual race events, and will race the Etios Sedan Petrol in the first season. The cars will be FIA qualified with racing parts supplied by TRD, and their technical expertise will be utilised throughout the series. Toyota will also partner and work closely with Indian motorsport experts such as Red Rooster Racing (International) Pvt., Ltd. based in Bangalore to better understand the needs of the sport and work towards popularising it.

The unveiling of the racing concept cars is only the beginning of the excitement that the EMR project has in store during the run up to the series the following year. In its effort to take motorsports closer to its customers and the youth of the country, the EMR concept cars will be touring 13 cities and 22 TKM dealerships across the country. Every weekend for four months, starting the January 28 in Chandigarh, motorsport enthusiasts will be given an opportunity not only to touch and feel the Etios in its racing avatar but also engage in a plethora of racing activities.

Hiroji Onishi, President, TMAP-Marketing and Sales said, “One of our objectives is to contribute to local motorsports culture in every country we do business. In the Asia Pacific region, you can see good examples in countries like Japan and Thailand where Toyota and Toyota Technocraft (TRD) are the driving forces behind single-make races for entry-level young drivers. Today, I am very pleased to see the combination of Toyota and TRD happening again in India.”

Sandeep Singh, DMD-Marketing, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “The Etios Motor Racing is a special project to us, and we are very excited to introduce it to not only motorsport enthusiasts but also all existing Toyota fans and customers in the country. Capitalising on our global motorsport heritage, and with support from experts of the renowned Toyota Racing Development, we see it as an ideal grass-roots category for young drivers to learn and make their way up the motorsport ladder. Through our racing initiatives, we will make motorsports more accessible not only to participants but spectators as well.”