15 Qualis MUVs Meet-Up: Toyota Vice Chairperson Manasi Kirloskar Shares Video
Toyota and reliability are two words that go hand in hand. The Fortuner and Innova are common names among customers in India for the same reason. Even before the Innova, there was another Toyota that won the hearts of many Indians - the Toyota Qualis. This MPV was available for a very short span of time, yet even today there is a large community still using the Qualis. A group of Qualis owners recently conducted a meet-up in Maharashtra, and a video of the same went viral on the internet. Even the Vice Chairperson of Toyota, Manasi Kirloskar, shared it on her X profile.
In fact, Manasi shared not one but two posts on her profile. In the first post, she shared an image of a Toyota Qualis with the caption: “First word that comes to your mind when I say Qualis?” A couple of days later, she shared another video on her profile where several Toyota Qualis MPVs were seen on the roads of Mumbai. Spotting a single Qualis on the road itself is rare these days, but here we see almost 15 Qualis MPVs together. The video was probably shared with her by one of her followers online.
The video was posted with the caption: “A legend never fades. Over 15 Toyota Qualis together in Mumbai, what a sight!” All these Toyota Qualis MPVs had gathered for a meet-up in Mumbai and were probably driven in by their owners from different parts of the state.
Unlike Delhi NCR, where there is a 10- and 15-year rule on diesel and petrol cars, Mumbai and several other states offer a second chance to such vehicles. These cars are allowed on the road if they pass a fitness test. The fitness certificate is valid for 5 years, after which the vehicle has to be tested again to ensure it is roadworthy.
This is a more logical way of deciding the life of a vehicle rather than simply imposing a blanket ban on petrol and diesel cars that are 10–15 years old. Coming back to the video, the Qualis models seen here look impressive. While a few show their age, most of them are very well maintained.
The comment section under this video is filled with remarks like:
“I trust Toyota & Suzuki. Unfortunately, in Delhi due to the draconian rule we had to sell perfectly good Toyotas — an Innova & a Fortuner. Now I await a new petrol hybrid Fortuner…hope you people will launch one soon.”
“Last seen in 2011, nostalgia moment!”
“Goosebumps stuff! ? The Qualis may be gone from showrooms, but it clearly still rules the roads and hearts. ?❤️”
The Qualis was one of the first products to be officially sold by Toyota in India. It was available from 2000 to 2004 and was offered with a 2.4-litre diesel engine, which was extremely popular among buyers, and a less popular 1,798cc petrol engine. Both engines were available only with a manual gearbox. In fact, the Innova that came soon after the Qualis is considered its direct successor.