Toyota Fortuner sales take a beating, courtesy Ford Endeavour?

The next-gen Fortuner is already on sale in international markets like Thailand.It appears, the popularity of the Toyota Fortuner is slowly fading as the premium SUV approaches the fag end of its life cycle in India. In March 2016, the Fortuner registered sales of 481 units which is the lowest ever monthly sales figure the SUV has registered in India since its launch in 2009.

Since the facelift came into existence in 2011, the ladder frame SUV has been clocking a monthly average over 1,000 units, so the most recent sales performance represents a sharp decline. In fact, since December 2015, the trusty Toyota’s monthly sales volume didn’t enter the four digit territory.

The all-new Ford Endeavour went on sale in January 2016 and that doesn’t seem to be a mere coincidence. The new American SUV emerged as a vastly improved product in all aspects compared to its predecessor. In its first three months, the new Endy clocked sales of 1,275 units. It appears that the Fortuner’s gradual decline correlates with the Ford SUV’s sales since January 2016. This trend indicates the new gen Ford is eating into the aging Toyota’s sales.

Another plausible explanation would be that prospective Fortuner customers are holding back their purchase until the next-gen model arrives. Speaking about the next-gen model, Toyota Kirloskar Motor is not likely to launch in before 2017. It would be interesting to see if the new Endeavour can finally dethrone the Fortuner in the coming months.

This article has first appeared in Rushlane.com