According to a media report, the Parivahan website is no longer allowing any 8-seater vehicles to be registered under white-board private plates. It is said that buyers have been unable to register their 8-seater vehicles under their individual name since May 22, 2023.
The Innova Hycross as well as Crysta is sold in both 7 and 8-seater variants. Prior to this new development, even taxi-registration Innova’s were always registered as 7-seaters and not 8.
The registration is no longer happening due to the introduction of a new class of vehicles in the Vahan database. According to the aforementioned media report, a new category called as the Ombinus is now been introduced. This is applicable for such 8-seater vehicles. But, according to the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), this Omnibus classification comes under the Transport section. This, however, means it will need a biennial inspection for fitness. This is usually the case with commercial registrations.
It has been reported that Toyota is already in dialogue with the appropriate authority in the government. Thanks to this change in the NIC database, customers who are awaiting the registration formalities of their Innova Hycross or Innova Crysta are now stuck in a limbo.
It is unclear if this introduction of the new Omnibus segment will affect just for a while till systems are updated or have a long-term effect on other 8-seater vehicles.
According to Toyota, the Innova Hycross is the premium Innova. Due to this, it comes loaded with a long list of features. The MPV gets features like a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment, a digital driver’s display and a panoramic sunroof. The Hycross also comes with dual-zone climate control, ventilated front seats, and second-row powered Ottoman seats. In terms of safety, Toyota offers get up to six airbags, front and rear parking sensors, TPMS, a 360-degree camera, and radar-based ADAS.
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