Toyota launches the Vellfire at Rs 79.5 lakh

The Toyota Vellfire is a new introduction to the luxury MPV segment in India, offering an unparalleled amount of luxury, the likes of which we really haven’t seen before. Toyota has just announced the prices for the new Vellfire, which starts at Rs. 79.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Vellfire will be up against the Mercedes-Benz-V-Class, and will be offered with only the 2.5 litre petrol engine integrated with a hybrid powertrain, producing 105KW motor on the front axle and a 50KW motor on the rear axle.

Exterior

The Vellfire has a boxy design. But the striking front with lots of chrome makes it stand out. The van-like proportions are difficult to miss but Toyota has done a remarkable job with the styling. Toyota has been criticised of its boring styling in the past — no such criticism can be thrown the Vellfire’s way with its outrageous styling. Viewed head on it is like nothing else, vast slabs of chrome slapped across the width of the short and stubby nose, with a further protrusion of chrome in the centre that Toyota describes as a Samurai warrior’s crown. The chrome slabs are interspersed by full-LED headlights, sharply cut by said Samurai’s katana. On the styling front everything has been thrown at the nose because the profile is vast and slab-sided. It’s practicality over everything else, and of course more chrome — hyper chrome, as Toyota describes those 17-inch wheels. And the rear has another chrome slab across the width.

Interiors

In the Toyota Vellfire both the doors open electrically and the glass is insulated for both heat and noise. Along with this it houses a sun roof for both the passengers and the driver with 3-zone climate control. For an engaging audio experience, the Vellfire has a 17 speaker JBL system. The Vellfire allows you to slide the front passenger seat forward via controls on its side while occupants in the second row can sink in to the wide, comfy and plush armchairs in the middle. These chairs slide, manually and individually, while the rest of the controls are electric. The seats can also be cooled and heated and also reclines to near-flat, the ottoman (leg rest) slides out and extends to support your feet. The Vellfire also comes with Apple CarPlay, 16-Color ambient roof illumination, etc.In terms of safety the Toyota Vellfire gets 7 airbags, HAC, VSC, emergency brake signal and panaromic view monitor.

Engine

The petrol engine of the Vellfire comes mated to a CVT gearbox, producing 115bhp and 198Nm of torque. The total system output comes out to be 194bhp thanks to its hybrid powertrain which houses two motors at the front and the rear axles, allowing the Vellfire to be all-wheel-drive. It has a 60:40 power split between the EV and the ICE drive mode respectively. Since hybrids are rely on pure battery power lesser than full EVs, Toyota says, the battery of one pure EV packs energy equivalent to the batteries of 42 hybrids combined and 60 per cent of the driving time of a hybrid is done on electric power.

Toyota is not shy about admitting how their cars are focussed on sustainbility. “Our focus is on behavioural change. Our factories have reduced carbon emissions significantly and we use the least amount of energy to make a car anywhere in the world” says Vikram Kirloskar

If you're wondering how electrification in their cars helps the environment, electrified Toyota cars have helped save an astonishing 113 million kg of CO2 globally, says Masakazu Yoshimura, MD, Toyota Kirloskar Motors.

Prices and Competitors:

The Toyota Vellfire is priced at Rs. 79.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the the sole Executive Lounge Variant. It competes against the likes of the Mercedes-Benz V-Class whose prices start at Rs. 68.4 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The luxury MPV segment is India has just started gaining traction but Toyota has said that 180 Vellfires have already been sold , with 20 per cent of the customers coming from Hyderabad. We will soon see whether companies see the gap in the market and introduce themselves as competitors of the Vellfire.