Smooth Ride Podcast: Toyota's Naveen Soni says 50% showrooms now partially open, demand looks positive

Over half of Toyota Kirloskar Motor's dealerships have partially opened up in the last week as several states have begun easing COVID-19 led restrictions. Matching supply with demand is likely to be a challenge for the carmaker over the next month.

However, things will soon begin to normalise and the demand picture for passenger cars looks net positive, says Naveen Soni, Senior Vice President, Toyota Kirloskar Motor.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor, one of India’s leading Utility Vehicle (UV) automakers, manufactures products like the much-loved Fortuner and Innova Crysta, alongside younger, smaller models like Glanza and Urban Cruiser.

In this episode of the Smooth Ride podcast, CNBC-TV18's Alisha Sachdev catches up with Soni to discuss how the Japanese automaker's principle of Heijunka is critical to planning its production- a system where demand "pulls" manufacturing.

Tune in to the podcast to find more about the company’s product portfolio, its EV and hybrid strategy, and more