Authorities Seize Old Toyota Fortuner ‘Converted To New Shape’ To Escape 10-Year Diesel Car Ban

We all are aware of the rule that Delhi has implemented where it has banned all diesel cars older than 10 years. In the last few months, we have seen numerous cars being seized by the authorities, and recently another video of one such seizure has come forward. In this particular clip, a first-generation Toyota Fortuner SUV, which has been converted into a Fortuner Legender, has been seized. For those who may not be up to speed, many owners have been converting their old Fortuners to look like new. This video will scare a lot of such owners.

 

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A post shared by Car Reels India 🇮🇳 (@carreelsindia)

This video of a first-generation Toyota Fortuner conversion being seized has been shared on Instagram. It comes courtesy of Car Reels India. We can note that a white Toyota Fortuner is being towed away on a road. The post mentions that this car has been seized by the authorities.

The post also shares the sarcastic humor, stating, “Yes, go ahead with the conversion of your Fortuner from old to new.” This particular statement has been targeted at many owners of such old type 1 and type 2 Fortuners, which have converted their old shape SUVs into the current generation.

Is this Fortuner actually type 1?

Some viewers might have the question if this Fortuner is actually a type 1 model or not. Well, the answer to that is that we have found that this particular car is 12 years and 10 months old. This means that it is definitely a first-generation model.

Also, the eagle-eyed viewers who know Fortuners will note that the alloy wheels are a dead giveaway that it is a first-generation model. As the type 2 Fortuner came with multi-spoke alloy wheels, and the Legender in which it has been converted comes with diamond-cut alloy wheels.

Apart from this, the doors and the door handles placement are different on the third-generation model. Lastly, we can note that the rear window of this Fortuner is the exact same as the type 1 model. The current generation model, including the Legender, comes with a much more sleek-looking rear glass and quarter panel.

Toyota Fortuner conversion: An Epidemic

As stated above, in the last few months we have seen numerous such conversions. Many type 1 or type 2 Toyota Fortuners have been converted into a new shape model by aftermarket shops. Now, why do people do such conversions, you may ask? Well, there are multiple reasons.

It is a well-known fact that the Toyota Fortuner is a very reliable vehicle. So even the first-generation models, which have been highly maintained by their owners, are still running decently. However, over the years, these owners get bored of looking at the same vehicle.

So, in order to jazz up the exterior appearance of such old Fortuners, they opt for a conversion to the latest generation model. Now there are multiple shops across the country that are offering such old-to-new conversions. So it has become a lot more common than you may think.

Are such conversions legal?

Many people now may have this doubt if these types of conversions are legal or not. So to clear their doubts, the answer is that any exterior modification done on a vehicle without the proper approvals from the RTO is illegal. So now you may ask the question: how are so many converted Fortuners driving around without any issues?

The answer to that is, after a good conversion job, it becomes very difficult for any normal person to distinguish between an original new car and a converted old car. Hence many people are freely converting their old Toyota Fortuners and Toyota Innova MPVs.

However, if there is a police checkpoint and the authorities ask for the registration certificate of such cars, this is when such owners get caught. Now we have to keep this in mind that this 10-year ban on old diesel cars is currently limited to Haryana, U.P., and NCT, Delhi. So until it’s implemented across the country, owners of such cars in the rest of the states are safe.