Toyota Kirloskar reports data breach; personal info of customers exposed

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has reported a data breach, where the personal information of its customers has been exposed on the internet, the company has confirmed in a statement. It was notified by one of its service providers. The extent of data breach is being ascertained.

“Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has been notified by one of its service providers of an incident that might have exposed the personal information of some of TKM’s customers on the internet. The extent of intrusion is being confirmed,” reads the statement. The company also says that it has notified the CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team)—which comes under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology—and is working with its service provider on the issue.

Recently, Fortune India reported on Digital Policy Paralysis, highlighting that India has no law that effectively addresses real-life cases like the cyber attack on the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) reported more than 6.7 lakh cyber security incidents in the first half of 2022. According to the Cost of Data Breach 2022 report by IBM, the average cost of data breaches in India is $2.32 million. It means a business loses an average ₹17.4 crore in a single data breach.

The development comes at a time when TKM’s calendar year sales for 2022 closed at a decadal high. Its total wholesales for the calendar year (CY) 2022 are at 160,357 units, a 23% growth over 2021. The best ever wholesales earlier clocked by TKM, was in the year 2012, with a total of 172,241 units. During the month of December 2022, TKM sold 10,421 units when compared to 10,834 units sold in December 2021.

“The year 2022 has been tremendous for TKM, both in terms of new product launches as well as sales performance. We introduced milestone models like the Urban Cruiser Hyryder and the Innova Hycross, and both the models have been very well appreciated by our customers, attracting huge traction in terms of demand and we are trying our best to meet customer requirements accordingly,” says Atul Sood, associate vice president, sales and strategic marketing, TKM. Sood also throws some light on TKM’s plans for the forthcoming Auto Expo.

Lately, Kirloskar Systems also saw a change in leadership, with Manasi Tata being appointed as a director on the board of Kirloskar Systems Private Limited (KSPL)’s joint-venture (JV) companies. Her appointment came after the passing of her father, the late Vikram Kirloskar, former chairman, and managing director, KSPL. His wife, Geetanjali Kirloskar, has already taken charge as the new chairman and managing director at KSPL. Japanese auto behemoth Toyota Motor Corporation entered India in 1997 via a JV with the Kirloskar group. Toyota Motor holds an 89% stake in JV, while the rest is held by the Kirloskar group—which is based in Bidadi, Karnataka.