Saturday, March 30, 2013

Hyundai to Launch a Compact SUV, MPV and a new Hatchback: Official

In an earlier report published on CarDekho, we talked about Hyundai's plans of launching a new hatchback to rival Maruti Suzuki Swift. The said hatchback will sit between the company's flagship hatches i10 and the i20, taking the total no. of hatchbacks to five. Now a report published today on ET confirms the same, it also reveals that there will be "a slew of products for the Indian market , including a compact SUV, an MPV as well". This has been confirmed by none another than Hyundai's CEO and MD, BO Shin Seo.

Hyundai Compact SUV
Image used for represenation purpose only


Seo also said that the company's focus will be on diesel engines, the company has recently made investments in diesel engine capacity. Speaking to TOI, Seo said that "the HMI will launch a small SUV soon The SUV will COME earlier, followed by an MPV ".

Hyundai's arch rival Maruti Suzuki India has already launched the Ertiga MPV, while it still doesn't have anything in the growing compact SUV/MPV segment. On the other hand, the newly launched Renault Duster has already been doing superb in terms of sales, Ford is ready with its compact Crossover, the EcoSport and Chevrolet Enjoy MPV will be here anytime soon. So, it has become more a necessity now for Hyundai India to launch a good product to earn the market share in this space.

Hyundai India is keeping its focus on diesel run cars, diesel vehicles accounted for 28% of the company's total sales. "We have invested $ 300 million in a new diesel gasoline flexible plant which has a 3,00,000-unit capacity. The flexi assembly line future-proofs us from any changes in the government's fuel POLICY, the while at the same time it Protects us from currency fluctuation since we no longer import diesel engines, "he said.

The company is also working on the next-generation i10, which will house the company's newly developed 1.1-litre diesel engine, while the petrol version will continue to derive its power from the existing 1.2-litre Kappa2 motor. The aforementioned 1.1-litre diesel engine is the company's smallest engine right now, which might also power the new compact car we mentioned above.

Speaking about the new compact car, Seo says "between the i10 and i20. It will create a completely new segment and will have better pick -up and performance than the i10 segment ". Denying that Hyundai will get into sub-Eon segment, he said, "Our Brand POSITIONING is On all about modern premium, so we will not go below the Eon, "said Seo.

Stay tuned to CarDekho for all the latest updates on upcoming Hyundai cars, Cheers!
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