CropIn Raises US$20 Million in Series C Funding Round Led By ABC World Asia

CropIn, a leading global artificial intelligence and data-led agri-tech organization empowering stakeholders to reimagine agriculture with data, has raised US$20 million in a Series C funding round led by ABC World Asia, an Asia-focused private equity fund dedicated to evidence-based impact investing. 

Existing investors Chiratae Ventures, Invested Development and Ankur Capital also participated in this funding round. Other new investors in this round include CDC Group and Kris Gopalakrishnan’s family office Pratithi Investment Trust. 

CropIn will use this capital infusion to focus on its global expansion, while continuing to innovate on its machine learning-based predictive analytics platform, SmartRisk to further strengthen its artificial intelligence capabilities. CropIn is also investing to penetrate deeper in its target markets globally. Recently, CropIn opened an Amsterdam office, and will be hiring local leaders to drive growth in the European market.

CropIn’s data-driven farming solutions enable agri-enterprises and growers to ‘maximize per-acre value’. Its farm data and agronomy management platform, SmartFarm, empowers stakeholders to improve efficiency, productivity, predictability, and sustainability of their crop value-chains. SmartFarm enables agri-enterprises to adhere to food safety standards thereby ensuring farm-to-fork traceability. The platform helps growers adopt sustainable farming practices to build long term economic viability and resiliency for local farming communities. CropIn has partnered with several global players in agriculture, including development finance institutions and government entities in 52 countries, to drive their digital and sustainability goals.

CropIn’s SmartRisk platform improves underwriting and risk assessment, enabling banks, insurance providers and other financial institutions to make informed underwriting decisions, identify new markets and expand product portfolios to service high-volume low-ticket opportunities. By analyzing and interpreting farm-centric data for over 388 crops with nearly 9,500 variants across trillions of data points that grow every day, SmartRisk helps achieve high prediction accuracy at a plot-level. It does this by combining computer vision with deep-learning algorithms, on multispectral imagery derived from aerial scouting (satellites and drones), field scouting data, and hyperlocal weather. 

The SmartRisk AI has processed more than 160 million hectares of land area, and has the potential to impact 70 million farmers globally in the next 3-5 years. Thus far, CropIn has positively impacted 13 million acres and 4 million farmers through the SmartFarm and SmartRisk platforms. Smallholder farmers associated with CropIn’s clientele also observed their crop yields increasing by nearly 25% in the first year and subsequently experienced optimised yield improvements in the following years, by integrating the recommended advanced agricultural techniques and quality inputs into their farming practices through CropIn’s agri-tech platforms.

“The robust, predictive power of digitalisation offers tremendous potential for the agriculture industry to leapfrog its many challenges in the coming years. The industry is capturing more data than ever, on everything from agronomy, weather and logistics to market price volatility, which has helped reduce acute data gaps throughout the value chain. In order to improve yields, optimise production and improve resilience and sustainability, agri-businesses are increasingly relying on innovative agri-tech solutions like artificial intelligence, data analytics, and the internet of things. We, at CropIn, are excited to advance the ‘AI-Culture’ for Agriculture,” says Krishna Kumar, Founder and CEO of CropIn.

Based in Singapore, ABC World Asia invests in companies that demonstrate commitment to generating positive and measurable social or environmental impact, alongside the ability to deliver compelling risk-adjusted returns. 

“Sustainable food and agriculture is a core investment theme for ABC World Asia. The agriculture industry is an important pillar of the global economy, in particular driving Asia’s growth and feeding the region’s rapidly increasing population. The industry now faces challenges more pronounced than before, with the COVID-19 global pandemic highlighting the vulnerability of global food supplies and impacting the livelihoods of many smallholder farmers. CropIn’s digital solutions will enable farmers to utilize real-time data for better decision-making and improved farm productivity. This investment underscores our support of such smart and sustainable agri-tech solutions that can build resilience in agriculture,” said David Heng, Founder and CEO of ABC World Asia. Ms Sugandhi Matta, Managing Director of ABC World Asia, will also join CropIn as a board member.

Existing investors of CropIn include BeeNext and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Strategic Investment Fund (London and Seattle). Over the last year, CropIn has established an advisory board comprising Barrett Mooney (Chairman of Board at AgEagle), Ranveer Chandra (Chief Scientist at Microsoft), TVG Krishnamurthy (Member of the Board of Directors at Ola), and Dr Iya Khalil (Global Head of the AI Innovation Center at Novartis). 

According to Karan Mohla, Partner, Chiratae Ventures India Advisors, “As active investors in the agri-tech space as well as in companies pioneering deep-tech and AI, we are truly excited about the innovative models that CropIn is building out in farm management and predictive analytics. In creating and building out a platform for multiple participants in the agriculture ecosystem, CropIn has established itself as a true global leader. With the leadership of Krishna and co-founder Kunal Prasad, they have built out a tremendous world-class team and advisory board and are on the precipice of achieving massive scale as a global company.”

Ambit Corporate Finance acted as the financial advisor to CropIn for this funding round. With this new round of investment, CropIn has raised a total funding of US$33.1 million to date.

About CropIn

CropIn is a leading global AI-driven agtechÿ organization that provides SaaS and data solutions to ag-enterprises globally. CropIn enables businesses in the agriculture ecosystem to adopt a data-driven approach through its ground-to-cloud technology solutions. 

CropIn’s unique suite of platforms - SmartFarm and SmartRisk - enable various stakeholders to adopt and drive digital strategy across their crop value-chains and operations. The company empowers the ag-enterprises with data insights that help drive initiatives around Digitization, Predictability, Traceability, Financial Inclusion, Climate Smart Agriculture and Sustainability. 

About ABC World Asia

Headquartered in Singapore, ABC World Asia is a private equity fund dedicated to impact investing. Impact investing encompasses the intention to generate positive, measurable social or environmental impact, alongside a compelling risk-adjusted return.

ABC World Asia was established by Temasek Trust, the philanthropic arm of Singapore headquartered investment company, Temasek. The fund’s investment strategy aligns with Temasek’s ABC Framework for an Active Economy, a Beautiful Society and a Clean Earth, building on the ideals of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

ABC World Asia will focus on themes including – financial and digital inclusion; better health and education; climate and water solutions; sustainable food and agriculture; and smart and liveable cities.

ITC Aims To Meet 100% Of Electrical Energy Needs From Renewable Sources By 2030 As A Part Of Its Sustainability 2.0 Vision

• At present, more than 40% of its electrical energy consumption is met through renewable sources like wind, solar and biomass. Offsite solar projects in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana & Tamil Nadu and onsite solar projects in West Bengal and Tamilnadu are under execution.

• Aims to achieve a 50% reduction in specific emission and 30% reduction in specific energy consumption to mitigate climate change risks

ITC Limited, one of India’s leading multi-business conglomerates and a global exemplar in sustainability, has set itself the target to meet 100% of purchased grid electricity requirements from renewable sources by 2030. In line with its philosophy of ‘Responsible Competitiveness’, the Company has adopted a low carbon growth strategy which encompasses a large renewable energy footprint. At present ITC meets over 40% of its electrical energy requirement through renewable sources like wind, solar and biomass. As a part of its Sustainability 2.0 Vision, ITC is planning to invest further in strengthening its renewable energy portfolio in order to contributemeaningfully to the fight against climate change. 

Investments in renewable energy

In its endeavour to contribute to a ‘cleaner and greener’ environment, ITC has been expanding its renewable energy footprint over the past two decades. The company has already made significant investments in renewable energy assets (Wind and Solar projects combined). This will improve Renewable Energy share of company by additional 6% from current levels.

Current renewable energy portfolio

The current renewables portfolio of ITC consists of 138 MW of wind power plants and 14 MW of Solar plants with ~53MW of additional solar capacity under execution. Projects are also underway in the area of other sources of renewable energy like solar boiler or biomass boilers. 

At present, ITC uses renewable energy across 20 factories, 9 hotels and 6 office buildings spanning states such as Telengana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Haryana, West Bengal and Punjab.  

In 2018, ITC became the first private sector entity to wheel renewable energy across states through Inter-State Open Access mechanism. Currently, the 46MW Wind power plant in Andhra Pradesh owned by ITC supplies power to over 15 ITC establishments in 8 states. This has led to a higher Renewable energy utilization for the company.

Emission Reduction Targets

Besides investing in new renewable energy assets, ITC also aims to achieve a 50% reduction in specific emission and 30% reduction in specific energy consumption by 2030 over a 2014-15 baseline. Such efforts in decarbonizing energy consumption through low-carbon energy solutions will be met through large-scale digitalisation and R&D initiatives, cross-sectoral collaborations and partnerships.

Talking about company’s resolve to mitigate climate change risks, Mr Sanjiv Rangrass, Group Head –R&D, Sustainability and Projects, ITC Limited said,” As a sustainability pioneer and an exemplar in environment stewardship, ITC has been emphasizing on the need to decarbonize energy consumption through green energy solutions in order to mitigate climate change risks. Since making sustainability a core objective in all business operations two decades ago, we have worked on a low carbon growth plan, in which expanding our renewable energy portfolio is our top priority. To pursue continuous improvement in energy and emission related performance, we have taken up specific energy and Greenhouse Gas emission reduction targets. The results of our 360-degree sustainability initiatives are manifest in the Company’s decade-longachievements even as our businesses expand rapidly together with the creation of 6 million sustainable livelihoods.”

Details of new renewable energy projects

Offsite Solar projects

ITC is currently executing several offsite solar projects totalling 50 megawatt in several states such as Bihar (5.1 MW), Uttar Pradesh (9 MW), Karnataka (13.4 MW), Haryana (7 MW) and Tamil Nadu (14.9 MW) to expand its renewable energy footprint further. It is also pursuing an offsite solar project in West Bengal to meet the huge electricity needs of ITC’s establishments within the state. 

Rooftop & on-site solar projects

Driving innovation further, large areas of the ITC’s Integrated Consumer Goods Manufacturing and Logistics (ICML) facilities and rooftops of factories and warehouses are beingused for solar power generation. ITC also executing onsite solar projects in West Bengal (2.7 MW) and Tamilnadu (3 MW).

ITC Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy

ITC, as part of its initiative to channelize knowledge-sharing and collaboration between different teams with valuable and varied experiences in green energy projects, constituted a Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy (CoE RE) in 2014. The CoE RE currently consists of over 100 members from different divisions and units actively taking part in initiatives to drive the green objectives for the company. 

ISBR Bengaluru Adjudged The Best Emerging Business School With Industry Collaborations

* Rated Platinum Institute Category by AICTE - CII Survey 2020

ISBR Business School, a leading business school based in Electronic City, Bangalore, has been judged as the Best Business School with Industry Collaborations in the Emerging Business Schools Category by the AICTE-CII Survey 2020. The Survey assesses the status of partnership between institutions and industry on six basic parameters such as curriculum, faculty, governance, infrastructure, placements and research and services / project & skill development. ISBR has scored high in every parameter and emerged on top from among 69 shortlisted management institutions that participated in the survey across India.

The AICTE-CII Survey for Industry-Linked Technical Institutes maps Industry linkages of Indian technical institutes in four broad streams – Engineering, Management, Architecture and Pharmacy. It showcases the best practices of partnerships with industry and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the ecosystem of technical education in India.

The continuous and sustainable efforts made by ISBR in establishing active industrial collaborations under different categories, have helped in the holistic development of the institution, faculty, and students, thereby enhancing the technical skills and the employability of the students in the corporate sector. In 2019, the flagship program of the ISBR Business School, Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) got NBA accredited. ISBR have been consecutively ranked as the Platinum institute by the AICTE- CII survey for 5 years in a row.

Dr. Lakshman Kumar, Director, ISBR, said, “We are excited to receive this honour from the apex advisory body of education in the country. Creation and dissemination of knowledge has been the motto which drives everyone at ISBR. The school is working towards securing its place among the global rankings of promising business schools. Faculties and management at ISBR believes in learning and un-learning and re-learning. It is this spirit that has enabled the school to retain the quality of delivery that we have been providing year after year to our stakeholders. We prepare our students to think boldly and act confidently in any environment, fostering him to be a lifelong learner, a transforming leader for the society. ISBR is a different path taken towards creating a socially conscious and effectively employable workforce for the future”. 

About AICTE- CII Survey

Conceptualized by CII in 2011 as a pilot and implemented in close coordination with AICTE since 2012, the AICTE-CII IndPact Survey is now a mature tool to measure the depth and extent of collaborations between technical institutions in the country and industry. It was given the name IndPact in 2013 and the two words which have been combined to arrive at this name are “Industry” and “Impact”. The scope of the survey has increased manifold in the past eight years. It was initially launched only for six streams of engineering discipline in 2012. After its huge success, its coverage was expanded to other disciplines such as management, pharmacy and architecture in the following years. In 2014, participation was expanded to include all types of institutes such as self-financed institutes (including deemed universities), government institutes, government-aided institutes and centrally funded institutes (IITs, NITs etc). From 2017, participation in the first level of this survey became mandatory for all technical institutions in the country.

ISBR Business School

ISBR Business School founded by young entrepreneur, Mr. Manish Kothari, is a leading management institution with collaborations with International universities of Europe, US, and Australia. The first campus of ISBR was set up under the aegis of Bangalore Education Trust established in the year 1990.

The edifice of ISBR is built on three building blocks. The Governing Council, The Academic Advisory board & the board of Studies. These Apex bodies, individually & collectively, contribute towards a high standard of Academic Governance. With the competence & experience of the best minds from Academics & Industry, ISBR is envisioned as an institute of high academic standards. ISBR takes pride in being a place where students and faculty can pursue knowledge without boundaries, a place where theory and practice combine to produce a better understanding of our world and ourselves.

DcodeAI, An AI-Focused EdTech Startup Launches New AI Learning Platform For Students

* DcodeAI offers Device agnostic, Gamified and Cloud-based Do-It-Yourself (DIY) curriculum for learning Artificial Intelligence (AI) across their 10,000+ school network in India

* Aims to democratize AI learning in India as well as other global markets in Africa, UK, USA and UAE

DcodeAI, an India based EdTech startup focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI), has launched new DIY learning platform including Natural Language Processing (NLP), Computer Vision (CV), Data Science for children aged between 12 and 18 years. With Angel funding of USD 500,000 from Sultan Chand & Sons (P) Ltd., Educational Publishing House, DcodeAI was launched earlier this year, with the vision to equip the next generation of learners with AI skills, without having a formal coding background. It aims to democratize AI learning among primary and secondary level students across 10,000+ schools that are currently part of its network.

DcodeAI focuses on low code/no code tools and usage of AI to make learning easy, intuitive and personalized. Hence, even those without any coding background can start to learn and implement AI models. The new set of DIY learning programs is designed for students who can learn the concept of AI and hone their skills in data manipulation, data visualization, statistics, machine learning, deep learning and more. These learning programs are suitable for students who want to learn about developing Chatbots, Image Recognition Models, as well as Voice Recognition-based Bots and Home Automation Systems.

Kartik Sharma, CEO & Co-Founder, DcodeAI said, “In 2020, we have witnessed multiple disruptions in the education system of the country as well as the overall learning and development process of the students. The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India has given a clear clarion call for the need to democratize AI across all sectors. This journey of AI transformation has to start at the school level and this is what we, at DcodeAI, want to enable. We want to simplify the learning curve of students who want to use AI for solving problems and driving impactful innovations. Our immediate goal is to reach out to 500+ schools in India by Q1 FY2022 and further expand our global footprint in countries like Africa, UK, USA and UAE by Q2 FY2022.”

Additionally, to build capacities and acumen for AI within school teachers, periodic offline Teacher Training sessions will be conducted around courses on data science, automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

About DcodeAI

DcodeAI is making the next generation of learners equipped with AI without having even coding background. With the focus on low code/no code tools and using AI to make learning of AI concepts and fundamentals easy, intuitive and personalized, even those without any coding background can start to learn and implement AI models. DcodeAI offers DIY modules on Data Science, Computer Vision and Natural Language Processing for age groups 12-18. The company uses specialised orchestrated containerization to help learners run AI models without the need for any special computing resources or GPUs.

The venture was started in mid 2020 by Kartik Sharma and Ashish Aggarwal who have been running successful Edtech businesses with a network of more than 10,000+ schools. Kartik is an IITian and Artificial Intelligence Practitioner while Ashish graduated from NTU, Singapore and has significant experience with education business. The venture has raised USD 500,000 as Angel round from Sultan Chand & Sons (P) Ltd. and is on rapid product development and expansion phase.

JK Tyre Ties-Up with Hyundai Motor India to Drive Growth in the OEM Segment

* Becomes Tyre Partner for top-end variants of Hyundai Creta~

Indian tyre industry major and the pioneer of radial tyre technology in the country, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd., has become an exclusive tyre partner with Hyundai Motor India – one of the largest car manufacturer in the country - for its highest selling SUV, Creta.

Over the years, JK Tyre has introduced hi-technological products that are best suited for Indian roads. Through this association, JK Tyre is offering best-in-class technology, unmatchable performance, comfort and handling to the top-end variants of the Hyundai Creta with its UX Royale 215/60 R17 radial tyre.

With its 5-Rib asymmetric design, variable draft groove technology, stable shoulder tread blocks, waffle groove and aero wing design, JK Tyre’s UX Royal 215/60 R17 tyre is the perfect fit for Hyundai Creta. The tyre is capable of giving superior ride comfort with crisp handling and low noise even at all speeds. 

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. VK Misra, Technical Director, JK Tyre and Industries said, “We are proud to further strengthen our partnership with Hyundai India for one of India’s best-selling SUV’s Creta. Through this collaboration, we aim to provide supreme quality tyres with cutting-edge features to complement the ride quality for the customer. JK Tyre’s best-in-class technologies in radial tyres and tyre testing mechanism will ensure safety of customers driving Creta in multiple terrains. We are confident that this association will further strengthen our market presence and we look forward to a continued and reinforced partnership with Hyundai Motors.”

Commenting on the partnership, Hyundai Motor India, said, “All New CRETA has been a benchmark SUV ever since it was launched in March 2020. Offering customers exceptional performance, unparalleled comfort & convenience as well as opulent aesthetics, All New CRETA continues to be the customers’ brand of choice. Our partnership with JK Tyre to offer All New CRETA with UX Royale 215/60 R17, continues to carry forward this SUV’s premium offering with superior handling & driving dynamics.”

JK Tyre & Industries has joined hands as a tyre partner for Hyundai India’s exclusive membership club ‘Hyundai Mobility Membership’. Through this association, members of Hyundai Club across the country can avail exciting offers on JK Tyre’s products including their Smart Tyres range.

JK Tyre & Industries Limited

The flagship company of JK Organisation, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd is amongst the top 25 manufacturers in the world. Pioneers of radial technology, the Company produced the first radial tyre in 1977 and is currently the market leader in Truck Bus Radial segment. The Company provides end-to-end solutions across segments of passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, farming, Off-the-Road and two & three-wheelers.

A global force, JK Tyre is present in 105 countries with over 180 Global distributors.  The Company has 12 globally benchmarked ‘sustainable’ manufacturing facilities - 9 in India and 3 in Mexico – that collectively produce around 35 million tyres annually. The Company also has a strong network of over 4000 dealers and 550+ dedicated Brand shops called as Steel Wheels and Xpress Wheels.

JK Tyre’s unwavering commitment towards innovation is reflected through its state-of-the-art global research and technology centre – the Raghupati Singhania Centre of Excellence - in Mysore, which houses some of the world’s finest technologies and techniques.

JK Tyre launched India’s first ever ‘Smart Tyre’ technology-and introduced Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) which monitors the tyre’s vital statistics, including pressure and temperature. The company recently rolled out its 20 millionth Truck/Bus Radial tyre becoming the first and the only Indian company to achieve this milestone.

It is the only Indian tyre manufacturer to be included in the list of Superbrands India in 2019 for the seventh consecutive year. JK Tyre has been conferred the Sword of Honour for Safety across its plants by the British Safety Council,UK. The company entered the Limca Book of Records with the country’s largest off-the-road tyre - VEM 04.

JK Tyre is also synonymous with motorsport in the country. For over three decades, the Company has relentlessly worked towards shaping India’s positioning as the motorsport hub of Asia, developing the right infrastructure for the sport and promoting young talent in the arena.

Tata Motors Brings Back Its Iconic Brand - ‘Tata Safari In A New Avatar

Commencing the New Year with a bang, Tata Motors today announced that it is bringing back its iconic brand ‘Safari’ with its forthcoming flagship SUV, (codenamed as the Gravitas).

Tata Safari introduced India to the SUV lifestyle, and glamourized the segment in India for other players to follow.  For over two decades, Safari has represented prestige and performance, and in its new avatar, the Safari will carry forward this rich idea and its strong legacy.

Announcing the formal branding of its forthcoming SUV as the ‘Tata Safari’, Mr. Shailesh Chandra – President, Passenger Vehicles Business Unit (PVBU), Tata Motors, said, “We are proud and elated to re-introduce our flagship SUV–Safari. The Safari, an iconic brand with a strong following, has been the most sought after SUV on Indian roads for well over two decades. In its new avatar, the Safari will appeal to the socially active, fun loving customers who seek out unique experiences and adventure. Its design, performance, versatility, features, and long lasting build quality, reinforce the SUV lifestyle to provide unending pleasure. We are confident that the launch of the Safari will once again re-energise the market, amplifying its cult status.”

The new Safari has evolved to satisfy the new age SUV customers, who demand arresting design, unparalleled versatility, plush and comfortable interiors, outstanding performance for a modern, multifaceted lifestyle. It encourages customers to ‘Reclaim their Life’ with its powerful stance, unmatched performance, effortless drivability, luxurious comfort, spacious interiors and new age connected technology, which make it ideal for both daily commute as well as an exciting family getaway.

The Safari further builds on the legacy of prestige and outstanding performance by combining Tata Motors’ award winning Impact 2.0 design language with the proven capability of OMEGARC, an architecture derived from the renowned D8 platform from Land Rover, which in itself is the gold standard of SUVs worldwide. This adaptive architecture allows for further drive train enhancements including all-wheel drive and possibilities of electrification in future.

Arriving in showrooms this January, booking for the new Safari will begin shortly. Stay tuned for more details.

About Tata Motors

Tata Motors Limited (NYSE: TTM; BSE: 500570 and 570001; NSE: TATAMOTORS and TATAMTRDVR), a USD 35 billion organization, is a leading global automobile manufacturer of cars, utility vehicles, pick-ups, trucks and buses. Part of the USD 113 billion Tata group, Tata Motors is India’s largest and the only OEM offering extensive range of integrated, smart and e-mobility solutions. It has operations in India, the UK, South Korea, Thailand, South Africa, and Indonesia through a strong global network of 103 subsidiaries, 10 associate companies, 3 joint ventures and 2 joint operations as on March 31, 2020.

With a focus on engineering and tech enabled automotive solutions catering to the future of mobility, Tata Motors is India’s market leader in commercial vehicles and amongst the top four in the passenger vehicles market. With ‘Connecting Aspirations’ at the core of its brand promise, the company’s innovation efforts are focused to develop pioneering technologies that are sustainable as well as suited to evolving aspirations of the market and the customers. Tata Motors strives to bring new products that fire the imagination of GenNext customers, fueled by state of the art design and R&D centers located in India, UK, US, Italy and South Korea. Internationally, Tata commercial and passenger vehicles are marketed in countries, spread across Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia, South America, Australia, CIS, and Russia.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Ushers In The New Year With New Fortuner and Legender

HIGHLIGHTS

* Fortuner continues to be SUV segment leader since its launch in 2009 over 1,70,000 units sold till date.

* In the quest to build “Ever-Better Cars”, Toyota has launched the new Fortuner and the Legender.

* New Fortuner features a Tougher & More premium Design language, in line with customer needs.

* While the new Fortuner exudes best in class torque and a powerful performance, the Legender is a mighty combination of power, sophistication, and unmatched style.

* The new Fortuner is available in 2.8 L Diesel Engine with 6-Speed Automatic and 6-Speed Manual Transmission with Intelligent Manual Transmission options and 2.7 L Petrol Engine in 6-Speed Automatic and 5-Speed Manual Transmission.

* New Fortuner Automatic Transmission provides a whopping 500 Nm of Torque and powerful performance with 204 PS while Manual Transmission variants will also see a power up with 204 PS of Power and 420 Nm Torque.

* The new Fortuner adds new features like 11 speaker JBL Audio, Superior Suction based Seat ventilation system (Front Row) & a new Infotainment system with Android Auto/Apple Carplay connectivity.

* The 4X4 (AT and MT) variants further enhance their off-road credentials with a Lockable Differential as an additional feature to ensure firm footing when navigating in extreme terrains.

* New Fortuner available in new color - Sparkling Black Crystal Shine.

* In line with the trend of connected cars, all new Fortuner & Legender comes with connected features like Geo-fencing, Real-time tracking, Last Parked Location etc.

* The Legender comes with “Sleek & Cool” design language loaded with many high-end features also launched to meet the growing demand for exclusive and convenience features.

* The Legender comes with best-in-class Torque of 500 Nm and 204 PS of Power and brings new convenience features like Kick Sensor for Back door & Wireless Charging.

* The Legender is available in Pearl white with Black roof (Dual Tone).

* New Fortuner and the new Legender is available as per the price below Ex-showroom (Prices are the same across the country except for Kerala). 

In line with Toyota’s philosophy of making “Ever- Better Cars”, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) today launched the new Toyota Fortuner and exclusive new Legender. The Fortuner has been an aspirational SUV for more than a decade now and continues to dominate the segment with over 53% segment share, even today.

The new Fortuner is available in 2.8 L Diesel Engine with 6-Speed Automatic and 6-Speed Manual Transmission with Intelligent Manual Transmission options and 2.7 L Petrol Engine in 6-Speed Automatic and 5-Speed Manual Transmission. The Fortuner Automatic Transmission variants provide best-in-class torque of 500 Nm and 204 PS of Power while Manual Transmission variants generate 204 PS of Power and 420 Nm Torque.

The new Fortuner boasts of new exterior features like a tougher-looking new Front Grille, Sculpted Side-pontoon Shaped Bumper thus amplifying commanding presence. New Headlamp Design with distinctive sharp LED line guide, Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs) and Multi-Axis spoke Alloy wheels with Super Chrome metallic finishing giving a luxurious look.

For the interior, Superior Suction based Seat ventilation system (Front Row) and a larger Smart Playcast Touchscreen Audio with Android Auto/Apple Carplay and a JBL 11 speaker w/ subwoofer system [4X4 variants only] are some of the key changes.

For added driving comfort and convenience, the new Fortuner comes with Auto Limited Slip Differential (Auto-LSD) that enables maximum power without breaking traction, Variable Flow Control (VFC) Power Steering that allows customers to dynamically change steering dynamics with drive modes [Eco, Normal, Sport] and Front Clearance Sonar to safely navigate when parking in tight spaces.

The 4X4 (AT and MT) variants further enhance their off-road credentials with a Lockable Differential as an additional feature to ensure firm footing when navigating in extreme terrains.

The new Fortuner will be available in existing colours of Phantom Brown, Super White, Attitude Black, Avant-Garde Bronze, Grey Metallic, Silver Metallic, Pearl White Crystal Shine and a new color of Sparkling Black Crystal Shine.

On the occasion, TKM also unveiled the Legender. Its bold proportions demonstrate the clear differentiation that makes it cooler and futuristic. The Catamaran elements that wrap the corners creates a strong vertical prominence and ensure a wider presence. Further, an exclusive headlamp design has been crafted for the Legender – Split Quad LEDs with a waterfall LED line guide signature that will ensure the best of brightness. The sharp nose creates a strong forward movement; to create a sense of exclusivity with a sleek and cool theme, the Legender comes with exterior features such as Catamaran Style Front & Rear Bumpers sharp, and sleek Front Grille with Piano Black Accents, Sequential Turn Indicators and 18-inch Multi-layered Machine-cut finished Alloy Wheels. In the Legender, the interior features include Dual Tone (Black + Maroon) interior theme, Contrast Stitching for Steering Wheel and Console Box, Interior Ambient Illumination (I/P, Front Door Trim, Front Foot-well areas) and Rear USB Ports. Apart from these, the Legender is loaded with high-end features like Kick Sensor for Power Back Door and Wireless Smartphone Charger. The Legender is available only in exciting color of Pearl White with Black roof (Dual tone).

Both the products are uniquely positioned to cater to the diverse needs of the dynamic market. While the new Fortuner is poised to “Lead with Power” the exclusive new Legender is “Powered in Style” thus reinforcing the brand’s towering presence.

Sharing his views on the launch of the new Fortuner, Mr. Yoshiki Konishi, Chief Engineer, Toyota Motor Corporation, said, “The new Fortuner is born out of our understanding of the customer feedback. The idea was to enhance the toughness of the vehicle and give it a powerful presence and distinctiveness like no other. Our enhancements were more than just skin deep; we have also upgraded the engine by introducing a new heavy-duty Turbo, designed for powerful performance, and improved frictional efficiency. As a result, the Fortuner Automatic now puts out 500Nm of torque, making it the best in the segment. For the Legender, we have brought in a sense of exclusivity in the design language and style. The bold proportions and advanced features make it look cooler and modernized, giving it a true premium stance and outlook. We are confident customers will appreciate the tweaks we have introduced specifically for the Indian market.”

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Masakazu Yoshimura, Managing Director, TKM said, “For more than a decade, the Fortuner has proven itself to be the most dependable SUV becoming the top-most choice for customers across every corner of the country. The Fortuner witnessed demand despite the effects of the pandemic on the economy. Therefore, it gives me great pride to introduce the new Fortuner and new Legender to the ever-growing base of loyal customers in India. I am confident the new Fortuner and exclusive new Legender with their bold styling, advanced features and rugged frame structure will offer value, versatility and superiority attracting many existing customers to upgrade while bringing in new set of customers to the Toyota family.”

Talking about his views, Mr. Naveen Soni, Senior Vice President, TKM, said, “We are delighted to bring the all new Fortuner and New Legender to our customers in India. The Fortuner lineup together with the Legender reflect the growing aspirations of our customers who seek the best in style, comfort, and performance. Following our customer-first approach, we have tried to not just meet these aspirations but also surpass them by introducing the new Fortuner and the Legender. A key addition to the new Fortuner & Legender is connected technology that enables features like Geo-fencing, Real-time tracking, last parked location for peace of mind. The infotainment system also comes with Android Auto/Apple Carplay connectivity to provide more convenience. We are sure that the customers will enjoy the new features and continue to put their faith in India’s most admired SUV. We are anticipating great demand for our new offerings across all major Tier I, II and III markets in the country.”

Bookings for the new Fortuner and exclusive New Legender are now open. Customers can either book the car online https://www.toyotabharat.com/online-booking/ or visit their nearest Toyota dealership.