Toyota has launched the latest version of its Fortuner model in Myanmar and is considering opening a production factory if sales of its cars in the country rise, according to the firm’s Myanmar representative.
Amid hopes from the manufacturers that the seven-seater four-wheel-drive sport-utility vehicle could match Toyota’s eighth-generation Hilux REVO as a best-seller here, eyes will be on its performance not just on the road but also at the cash registers of Yangon’s showrooms. The REVO was introduced last October.
“We’re hoping to sell more Toyota [vehicles] in Myanmar,” said Hidemasa Azuma, the firm’s representative in Myanmar. The company often fields questions on when it will open a Myanmar production facility – something Toyota is thinking about, Mr Hidemasa said.
But opening a local factory depends on stronger local sales, and some of Myanmar’s laws and regulations are not conducive to investment, he added. Still, hopes are high for the new Fortuner, which combines elements of the firm’s Hilux and Land Cruiser models, and its latest incarnation also comes with features aimed at families and business owners, Mr Hidemasa said.
The Fortuner costs US$61,300, including customs duty, commercial tax and registration fee with the Road Transport Administration Department.
In accordance with recent government directives, all new imported Toyotas are left-hand-drive models, which is not expected to dent the brand’s popularity in a country where many would rather own a right-hand-drive Toyota than a left-hand-drive from another brand.
Ko Myo Myint Thein, chief operations officer at TTAS, which sells Toyota vehicles in Myanmar, said that although he hoped the new Fortuner would become a best-seller like the Hilux REVO, there was no sales target.
“It all depends on customer demand,” he said.
One issue that could affect demand is the Yangon Region government’s suspension on issuing car parking recommendation letters to car importers. A policy requiring importers to provide a letter from their local township administrator to prove they had car parking space was introduced last year.
But new showroom and car sales centres have been unable to get letters from township administrators since the new government took office on April 1, according to U Myint Cho who chairs the Yangon government’s car parking analysis group.
“We can’t deliver cars to customers because they did not get a parking recommendation letter. We hope the regional government will find a solution soon,” said Ko Myo Myint Thein.
From: Myanmar Times
