Indian Car Blog – Carazoo.com

Hyundai India mulls of bringing in a Compact SUV

Hyundai Velostar

Hyundai India has been around quite some time now. Precisely 15 years and counting… In all these years the South Korean auto major has seen tremendous success for its cars in India. Hyundai India, for every right reason has been crowned as the second largest car maker in India and in an attempt to hold on to the title, Hyundai has come out with some outrageous products recently to reaffirm the trust the people have kept in the brand.

The product portfolio of Hyundai India includes entry-level small compact cars, premium hatchbacks, sedans and SUVs. But Hyundai India probably is not very satisfied with this product line up and wants to have a compact SUV in its lineup. By the way the Compact SUV market is the IN-thing now in India and we can see that every other automobile major wants a piece of the cake and are all in the process of launching their own versions of compact SUVs.

Hyundai probably sees that the time is right now to launch a compact SUV and it is all set to unveil its concept version of the compact SUV during the 11th Auto Expo to be held at New Delhi next month. Of course, there certainly is a catch here. It is very likely that Hyundai India will take advantage of the lower tax rates on models that are shorter than 4 meters and in the process launch a compact SUV. But mind you, the details of the compact SUV from Hyundai at the moment is very sketchy and nothing is concrete.

2012 Ford-Ecosport Compact SUV

Now back to Hyundai India’s Compact SUV story, the Korean major also will be showcasing its crossover utility vehicle, the Velostar at the expo. The Hyundai Velostar was a runaway hit in the U.S. and Hyundai wants to recreate the same magic here but it would wait to see people’s reaction towards the vehicle at the Expo.

Coming to story behind the models that shorter than 4 meters rule, Back in 2006, when the Union Budget was tabled, the then Finance Minister P.Chidambaram had doled out special benefits to small cars to boost the local production and promote India as a global small-car manufacturing hub. In the process, it was proposed that an 8 percentage point excise duty reduction of 16 percent for cars shorter than 4m and with petrol engines displaying less than 1,200 CC or diesel engines smaller than 1,500 CC.

Like we had mentioned earlier, there are many players looking to exploit this loophole. Premier Automobiles, last year came out with Premier RIO petrol and this year introduced the diesel version of the compact SUV. Following them are Mahindra and Mahindra who are all set to launch their Mini Xylo sometime next year. The development stage is over and test mules have been spotted more than a few times by eagle-eyed auto aficionados.

Renault India and Nissan India have also confirmed their plans to launch their respective versions of compact SUV (Renault Duster) which likely is to be priced at Rs. 8-10 lakh bracket. Ford India is all set to come out with Ford EcoSport compact SUV soon. What’s more? Even passenger car market leader Maruti Suzuki has jumped in the bandwagon and will launch its own compact SUV in a couple of years span. This domino effect started after the fast growing SUV segment began eating into the small car market share in India.

Mahindra Mini Xylo rendering

As far as the compact SUV segment is concerned, this is fast growing in India and if MUVs, MPVs, SUVs are all added up, the segment accounts for almost 18 percent of the total market, which again is a considerable sum and every auto maker would drool to have a piece of it. The changing mindset of customers is to be blamed for this as the demand for SUVs is more and people aspire to own one.

posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, December 8th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post

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October 12, 2011

Hyundai Eon Brochure leaked… fills up the internet

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Come tomorrow and the Hyundai Eon will see the light of the day in India when the small car will be officially launched here. The bookings for Hyundai Eon have already started since two weeks now with an initial booking amount of Rs 25,000.

The Hyundai Eon will be mainly competing against small hatchbacks or entry level small cars such as Maruti Suzuki Alto, Chevrolet Spark, Tata Nano once the car is launched here in India. The price tag for the Hyundai Eon should hover around Rs. 2.75 Lakh for the base version to Rs. 3.75 Lakh.

We have given a detailed description of the Hyundai Eon features and specifications it would have, in the previous blog.

We have obtained some spy images via two Team-BHPians. All the images that you see here have already flooded the internet space and creating waves even before the actual launch of the Eon. The Hyundai Eon is offered in six different variants such as D-Lite, D-Lite(O), Era, Magna, Magna(O) and Sportz.

Watch this space for more as we bring in more info and car reviews on the Hyundai Eon…

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posted by carazooblog @ Wednesday, October 12th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post

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October 12, 2011

Hyundai Eon in a nutshell

Hyundai-Eon-Bookings
A few more news on the new Hyundai Eon small car is trickling in. The bookings for the Hyundai Eon small car had already started on Oct 3rd and Hyundai dealers are already having a field day accepting the bookings.

The dealers have already started speaking to the potential customers about the car and the car could be booked either by visiting the dealership of just sending a text message. Keeping the price in mind in which the Eon will be offered, we guess the bookings on the Hyundai Eon might just shoot up above the 25,000 mark within the launch of the car on October 13th.

Hyundai has strategically placed the Hyundai Eon below the Hyundai Santro to take on the competition in Maruti Suzuki Alto. The new Hyundai Eon small car is powered by a 814 cc SOHC three cylinder Epsilon motor. The very engine you’ll find doing duty in the Hyundai Santro minus a cylinder. The engine pumps out about 56 bhp and is paired with a five speed manual transmission.

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With such an engine on board, expect the fuel economy to be top notch. Hyundai claims that fuel economy of the Hyundai Eon to be 21 kmpl. The mileage is the only thing after the tag price which rules any car’s value in the Indian car market.

The new fluidic design philosophy which Hyundai has adapted on most of its being sold in India has been used on the Hyundai Eon generously. The new Hyundai Eon looks pretty much like the toned down version of the new i 10. And with looks to kill, Hyundai Eon is very much a winner already in its segment. The fluidic design has been extended towards the interiors of the Hyundai Eon as well. The dash board looks exciting and contemporary so does the instrument panel. The steering looks very similar to that of the i20s.

Looking for space in an entry level segment car in India is like looking for road without potholes in India. Interiors space in the Hyundai Eon is good enough to seat five. Though the front seats are spacious, the same cannot be said of the rear seats. Hyundai has made it even by giving a 215 litres boot for that extra luggage a small family would have to tug out. The space is certainly good for a car of its size.

The Hyundai Eon features abundance of storage space in the guise of bottle holders, magazine holders and glove box. The Hyundai Eon might get an AC, 2 DIN stereo, keyless entry, tilt steering, driver side airbag, USB/Aux port in and so on as additional features. (Expect all these on a Top end Hyundai Eon.)

The price of the Hyundai Eon should again be between 2.75- 3.5 lakhs. Pricing the car would be a challenge for the guys at Hyundai and if they pull it out perfectly, there’s nobody from stopping them. With the Hyundai Eon, Hyundai is targeting the first time car buyer.

The Hyundai Eon will be available in D-Lite, D-lite(O), Era, Magna, Magna(O) and Sportz variants. We give you a list of equipments that would be standard in the Hyundai Eon according to its variants below.

Hyundai Eon D-LITE features specifications such as 814 cc 3 cylinder in line petrol engine with 5 speed manual transmission, 145/80 R12 tubeless tyres with silver finish steel wheels, Immobilizer, Full size spare wheel, Brakes: front disc-rear drum, Single horn, Length x Breadth x Height: 3,495 mm x 1,550 mm x 1,500 mm and Wheelbase: 2,380 mm. The safety features in the Eon D-Lite variants are Child safety rear door lock, Inside rear view mirror-standard, Front and rear ELR seat belts and Rear centre static seat belt. On the exterior this variant would feature Hub cap, Driver side OSRVM (manually adjustable), Clear head, tail and side repeater lamps, Integrated HMSL, Chrome rear emblems and Radiator grille (2 tone-black plus chrome).

The interiors would feature 2 tone beige and brown key colour, PVC gear knob and parking brake trim, 2 spoke PU steering wheel, Tailgate finishing-plastic type, Door trims-”H” board type, Quadrant cover for passenger ORVM, Assist grip-front (1), rear-2, B and C pillar trims, Sunvisor- LH and RH, Semi cloth upholstery, Room lamp-front-glow type, Windshield moulding and Speaker grille-front doors. As far as the comfort and Convenience is concerned, Fuel lid and tailgate opening-remote cable type, Front and rear fixed head rest, Heater with 4 speed blower, 2 speed front wiper and washer, Clear all round glasses, Power outlet in front console, Cup holder in front console, Floor console-STD with storage tray, Single folding bench rear seat, Rear door armrest (half), Rear seat belt knuckle holder, Gear shift indicator and Cluster assembly signals (speedometer, dual tripmeter, digital odometer, fuel, water pump, oil pressure, parking brake, battery charge, high beam, engine check lamp, immobilizer).

The Hyundai Eon D-LITE (O) would feature a Manual AC in addition to the other features mentioned above in the D-Lite variant. The Hyundai Eon Era variant would have body coloured bumper and Body colour plus chrome radiator grille, Metal finish centre fascia, Motor driven power steering, All round tinted glasses, Front tinted windshield with shade and EPS indicator.

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The Hyundai Eon Magna variant would feature all of the above mentioned features in addition of the bigger 155/70 r 13 tubeless tyres, Full wheel cover, Steel wheel with black finish, Central locking (driver side), Passenger side OSRVM, Moulded door trims, Front door map pockets (driver and co driver), Speaker grill-RR boot, Internally adjustable OSRVMS, Front power windows, Micro roof antenna, Front door full size armrest and Tilt steering. The Hyundai Eon Magna (O) variant features Audio (CD/MP3/FM/AM), USB and aux-I, 2 speakers only (front doors) and Rear parcel tray.

The Top end variant of the Hyundai Eon, the Sportz variant would have Driver airbag, Keyless entry, Front fog lamp-clear lens, Body coloured door handles and OSRVM, 3 spoke aluminum finish steering wheel, Metal finish inside door handle and Airbag warning signal on console.

Image Courtesy: Team BHP

posted by carazooblog @ Wednesday, October 12th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post

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January 27, 2011

The Rural Route to Success

Car makers are treading a different route these days. Yes, they are making their journey to the smaller towns and rural areas to explore a big market in the ‘real India’ as metros are becoming more packed and competitive. Leading carmakers like Maruti, Hyundai, General Motors and Mahindra are ramping up their operations in the non-metro markets where the desire to own a four-wheeler is at an all time high.

Maruti Suzuki, the biggest carmaker in India, registered almost 20% of its sales from non-metro markets in 2010, up from 3.5% about three years back. General Motors saw nearly 60% of its sales coming from these emerging markets.

“It has become a substantive and crucial area for us,” said Mayank Pareek, managing executive officer at Maruti Suzuki. Pareek said that Maruti-which is already strong in the smaller markets-has been making further attempts to shore up its presence to ensure that it penetrates even the remotest of the areas. “We are developing a database, mapping territories almost village by village to ensure that brand Maruti is available at almost anywhere in the country.”

Arvind Saxena, sales and marketing director at Hyundai India, also said that these smaller markets were getting increasingly important for car companies. “Aspirations are fast growing in these areas, including the rural belts. Also, the roads are getting better, another factor that aids sales of cars.” For Hyundai, small towns and rural areas (beyond top 40 cities) contributed as much as 30% to overall sales in the last year. This used to be around 18-19% around five years back. “The numbers have been growing and now we are also expanding our network in these areas,” Saxena added.

Less dependence on car loans make the smaller markets a fairly better bet. According to statistics provided by Maruti, about 63.5% of rural buyers purchase cars in cash. While 10% of urban households own cars, the figure is only 2.3% in rural and smaller towns.

GM India has left no stones unturned to be a strong contender in these markets. “While we have extended our partnership with the State Bank of India to reach many smaller markets, GM is also playing an active role in many local functions and events in these areas to increase visibility. For example, we sponsor local events and community programmes where we also display our cars, while offering finance solutions. This makes the brand visible right in the heart of the market,” said P Balendran, vice-president, GM India.

posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, January 27th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post

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July 6, 2010

Tata Motors – Proudly Perched at No. 2

For the past two years or so, Tata Motors had been trying every little trick in its kitty to dislodge the Korean car manufacturer, Hyundai Motors India, from the second spot in monthly domestic passenger vehicle sales in India. And finally, the June sales gift wrapped and delivered the much sought after position to Tata Motors. And the Indian car manufacturer has achieved this feat with the dramatic increase in sales of the Nano, after the inauguration of the Sanand plant in Gujarat, and the sales of the Indigo range.

Tata Motor’s domestic sales surged by 63.2 per cent in June, with the company selling 27,811 units, when compared to 17,039 units sold in the same month last year. Hyundai India saw a growth in its June sales (18.9 per cent) too, without much help though.

The tiny Tata Nano contributed significantly to Tata’s total sales in June. Nano sales more than doubled from an average of 3,500 units in recent months to 7,704 in June. The Indigo range witnessed great sales in June too, and sold about 7,502 units, a growth of 113 per cent over June last year, when 3,522 units were sold.

A Tata Motors’ spokesperson said: “Going forward, our expectation would be to maintain the No 2 position in the industry.”

Industry analysts are of the view that Tata would be able to maintain its growth in sales. “The newly-created Nano segment has huge opportunities and, therefore, Tata Motors is likely to sustain its numbers because of the higher volumes it will generate,” said Abdul Majeed, national head of automotive practice in PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Hyundai executives are miffed about the current scenario, and are heard saying that Hyundai makes only passenger cars, unlike Tata which makes utility vehicles such as Sumo. And hence, the comparison should be limited to only within the former category, where Hyundai stills rules at no. 2.

Others, however, are skeptical of Tata lead. “While Nano numbers are the pre-sold orders and the company is only accelerating the deliveries from its new plant, we need to wait and watch for at least a quarter to see if it is sustainable.

Moreover, Tata’s will need more products in the passenger car category to remain ahead of Hyundai in the long run,” said Rakesh Batra, national head (automotive practice), Ernst & Young. Additionally, Hyundai is planning to launch a small sub-Santro car, which will stand face to face with the Tata Nano. The launch date of the car has not been revealed yet.

Owing to the new car launches that we have witnessed in the past few months, the overall passenger vehicles’ market continued its steady growth. June 2010 saw total sales of 176,920 units as compared to the 139,490 units sold in the same month last year.

Invincible Maruti Suzuki continued to be top seller, with total sales of 72,812 units. “The growth in June is extremely high as you must remember the base was very high last year in June,” said R C Bhargava, chairman of Maruti Suzuki. “The fundamentals of the economy are good and demand is picking up on the back of new models. The industry is expecting an annual growth of 12 per cent in 2010-11”.

The new car launches by many of the companies have brought them the volume numbers. General Motors India witnessed sales growth of 112 per cent in June, courtesy the new Chevrolet Beat, which sold 3,415 units.

posted by carazooblog @ Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 Comments Off links to this post

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May 28, 2010

New Hyundai Verna to be launched soon

New Hyundai Verna A little wait makes you want something more eagerly. And that is exactly what Hyundai Motors is doing. Even though the new Verna was ready, it chose to showcase it at the Beijing Motor Show as a 2011 model. Wonder why? Because the car maker wanted to emphasise the exclusivity of the car for the Chinese market, which happens to be topping every car manufacturer’s wish list for new car launches.

The new 2011 Hyundai Verna, which is being shown off as the successor to Accent entry sedan, has got all new looks and features. The image of the new Verna will undoubtedly remind you of Sonata. A fresh and bold grill, sweptback headlights and rear-view mirrors with integrated LED turn signals make it one of the very good looking cars. Inside the car, higher quality materials and design promote the good looks of the car.

The new Verna is equipped with a powerful new Gamma petrol engine with multi-port fuel injection. And while the base 1.4-litre churns out an outstanding 106bhp and 13.7kgm of torque, the 1.6 litre engine will bring forth a 121bhp and 15.8kgm of torque. The 1.6 litre engine will be mated to a smooth-shifting four-speed automatic transmission.

The new Hyundai Verna features an attractively sloping roofline and is built on a wheelbase of 2570mm. To enhance the aerodynamics and handling of the car, an increased amount of ultra-high tensile strength steel has been used to build the car. So, you can expect improved better handling and less NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) levels. The extra spacious boot in the car measures about 454 litres.

So much about the upcoming car. Definitely we all want to know if this new Verna will make it to the roads of India too, and if yes, when. We have word that the new car from Hyundai will reach India somewhere in 2011. Hyundai Motor India would want to localise the production of the car, in order to make it more affordable to the Indians. And that’s not all. Indians might just a get an extra treat in the form of a diesel Verna. With the growing competition in the diesel car market in India, Hyundai just cannot afford to remain ignorant.

You can expect the price to within the range of about Rs 12-13 lakh. This definitely comes as a warning sign to the other cars in the upper C segment. The production of the new Hyundai Verna starts off in July and the global production is projected to start in the upcoming few months.

posted by carazooblog @ Friday, May 28th, 2010 1 Comment » links to this post

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May 4, 2010

Hyundai Avante/ Elantra Car Premiered at Busan

Hyundai recently unveiled the Verna at the Beijing Motors Show, and now it has taken the wraps off the 2011 Hyundai Avante, also known as Elantra, at the 2010 Busan Auto Show in South Korea.

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Many a times a good car does not go well with the preferences of people and fails to sell. A case in point could be the Hyundai Elantra sedan. This car was an all inclusive package. It had everything that a car buyer looks for in a sedan. Starting from power to looks to mileage, Elantra had it all. Despite that it could not make a name for itself. Even Hyundai India’s reputation for good after sales service could not save Elantra’s cause in India.

Hyundai India also tried to bring in the diesel version to save the lost hope, but the Indian audience gave an indifferent shrug to the sedan. The diesel Elantra was capable of giving very respectable fuel efficiency.

The only explanation for the failure of big cars from Hyundai is that the Indian crowd still perceives Hyundai as small car maker and hence it may not be upmarket enough for the luxury car segment. But Hyundai wants to change it all and it is attempting to grab a market share in the D segment with the launch of the 2011 Hyundai Avante/Elantra.

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And this time, Hyundai has pulled up its socks to design the new Elantra that bears no similarities whatsoever to the outgoing model. The 2011 Avante/Elantra has got a very fluidic design which is sure to create an impression as it rolls out on the Indian streets. This will give it an edge over the likes of the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, which now look dated and slightly aged to the eyes of Indian new car buyers.

Hyundai India will bring the new Avante/Elantra in the late 2010 or in the early months of 2011. The new Elantra will feature a four cylinder, 1.6 litre GDI Petrol engine. This engine can generate a maximum output of 140 Bhp and 167 Nm. A 2 litre common rail diesel engine (CRDe) is also likely to follow. The engine specifications sound attractive as fuel efficiency will get a significant boost as Gasoline Direct Injection technology makes it to the petrol engine.

Combined with a six-speed automatic transmission, the new Elantra will deliver roughly a 10 percent improvement in overall fuel economy.

The new Avante brings some delightful and equally surprising upgrades including HID (High Intensity Discharge) headlamps, LED combination lamps in the rear, heated rear seats, puddle lamps and a colour TFT LCD information display nestled in the gauge cluster.

2011-Hyundai-Avante

Now one of the most important things related to a new car, the price. Hyundai India is expected to price the Avante/Elantra somewhere closer to Rs 12 lakh.