Yamazaki and his team was in Pune to make a presentation on Toyota's R&D System and Environment Action Plan at the symposium on international automotive technology at the Automotive Research Association of India. The presentation was being made by Takeshi Uchiyamada, director at Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan, and chief engineer of Prius, the world's first hybrid car launched by Toyota.

Yamazaki said that the company was firm on the multi-purpose vehicle. This was being designed and developed exclusively for the domestic market, and is not a model existing anywhere. "The interiors will look more like a passenger car, and we are working on creating more modern exteriors," Yamazaki said.

The diesel-run vehicle will be available in standard and deluxe versions. The company aims to price it about Rs 5 lakh, and this will depend greatly on the customs duties in the forthcoming budget. The company hopes to have an indegenisation of around 50 per cent to start with, and go up to 70 per cent in two to three years.

Toyota is keen not to repeat the mistakes it made with its truck venture in India, he said. "This time, we are taking our partners into confidence and working closely with them, more like equal partners (Kirloskar has a 26 per cent stake, and Toyota, the rest). The project has also made provisions to take care of the fluctuating Yen," Yamazaki said.

The company has selected 22 dealers across the country, and is looking to have in place a network of around 60 dealers in five years time. It hopes to capture around 30 per cent of the multi-purpose vehicle market.