The company is confident of capturing a larger pie of the domestic market in 2019 by building on the already strong foundation it has laid in 2018.

SUVs are assuming a new meaning in India. The passenger vehicle segment of SUVs grew by 30 per cent in FY2016-17.

OEMs are working on manufacturing vehicles that are light in weight, thus consuming less fuel. For example, a 10 per cent reduction in weight can result in 6-8 per cent fuel economy improvement.

There is a nationwide upscale in emission norms while the industry gradually moves from BS-4 to BS-6 by April 2020.

The company considered the price hike after periodically reviewing the continuous pressure of increasing manufacturing costs, which is also a general industry phenomenon.

As part of its skill development programme, Toyota Kirloskar Motor aims to achieve high skill levels for development of core employability and for promoting technology that meets the demands of various industries globally.

Manufacturing has changed its focus and approaches from pure cost to quality, productivity, energy efficiency and delivery performance in the last two decades.

Polyurethane (PU) is used throughout the vehicle. While its main application is in car seats, it is also used in bumpers, interior headliner ceiling section, car body, spoilers, in doors & windows, etc.

Car buyers are becoming increasingly demanding when it comes to the functionality and design of their vehicles. At the same time, governments are enforcing more stringent regulations on vehicular emissions. All these trends are driving the demand for plastics in automotive industry, says Rakesh Rao.