Hyundai, the South Korean auto maker, has been pretty vocal about its plans for the Indian car market in the recent past. The second largest passenger car maker has not been shy in expressing its desire to become take the first place by overtaking Maruti Suzuki. Needless to say that it is a humongous task as Hyundai is still quite a distance behind Maruti Suzuki in terms of market share. However, undeterred by this fact, Hyundai has devised its strategical framework for India, which includes a number of new launches in the year 2014. The condition of the Indian car market is not the best as of now but things are looking positive and are set to improve in the future. Grand i10, the recently launched hatchback slotted between i10 and i20, has already made a name for itself and has set the sales registers ringing. By launching the Grand i10, Hyundai has begun executing its plan to become the country's number one passenger car maker.
Although it has been only around month since the launch of the Grand i10, industry experts have already labelled this hatchback as a success. The main reason for this sort of response is the combination of affordability, style and performance in the Grand i10, which is something every consumer looks for. Now, fresh rumours have surfaced, which claim that the South Korean auto maker will be looking to launch a compact sedan that will be based on the Grand i10. A lot of experts believe that this is Hyundai's move to match Maruti Suzuki's combination of Swift and Swift DZire. This compact sedan, according to sources, will come in both diesel and petrol engine options, just like the Grand i10 hatchback. Given the kind of response the hatchback has got, it is highly likely that the compact sedan will be successful in India.
The rise in demand for utility vehicles in India has triggered several auto makers to launch their own models in the segment. Models like Toyota Innova, Nissan Evalia and Chevrolet Enjoy have done reasonably well in the Indian car market. Seeing this sort of demand, the Hyundai, according to sources, is planning to launch its own Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) in the year 2014. Reports suggest that this MPV is going to be based on the Hexa Space concept that was showcased at the 2012 Auto Expo, which was held in New Delhi. The Hyundai MPV will be competing against the likes of Innova and Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. Industry experts believe that this car, with its peculiar seating arrangement style, could start a new trend in India, wherein conventional methods might get challenged.
The SUV onslaught from Hyundai will not end at the Hexa Space based MPV. Hyundai is expected to introduce a new version of the Santa Fe Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in India in the first half of 2014. The South Korean auto maker is reported to have made numerous launches to the styling of the Santa Fe. Some of the advanced features that would be included in the 2014 Santa Fe could be heated seats, stability control, powered tailgate and panoramic sun-roof. However, the biggest launch from the South Korean auto maker in 2014 is expected to be a compact SUV. After the success of the Renault Duster and the amazing performance of the EcoSport, Hyundai is also planning to enter the compact SUV segment. Although no indication has been given by the South Korean auto maker, speculations suggest that the compact SUV from Hyundai could be launched by late 2014.
Industry experts believe that Hyundai is moving in the right direction, if these launches do take place as expected. Also, it might be able to make a substantial move forward in its bid to compete neck to neck with Maruti Suzuki in the passenger car segment. To put things into perspective, the year 2014 would be really interesting in terms of the competition between Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki.
