The entire country will be engaged in celebrating the 66th Independence day on 15th of August. On this eve, some prominent names of the Indian auto market are offering lucrative deals to customers, which include discounts on the price, benefits, exchange offers and holiday programmes. Hyundai, the country's second largest passenger car maker, has also joined the bandwagon of firms engaged in providing deals exclusively for Independence Day. Offer by the South Korean auto maker is named 'Freedom Celebration', a scheme that lets customers avail benefits worth Rs. 1.45 lakh. This scheme is applicable to all cars sold by Hyundai in India, which includes Santro Xing, i10, i20, Eon, Accent, Sonata, Elantra, Verna and Santa Fe. Apart from Hyundai, car companies like Chevrolet and Fiat have also introduced Independence Day programmes.
It is said that the festive season is considered to be the best time to purchase a vehicle in India. However, analysts from the industry have claimed that this is a golden opportunity for customers who want to purchase a Hyundai vehicle. Considering the widespread price rise across the country, it is being said that anyone who avails these offers is likely to benefit in the future. Also, as the offer has been provided by a reputed brand like Hyundai, which has a vast portfolio across hatchbacks, sedans and utility vehicles, industry experts are of a view that this deal can be much lucrative for the auto maker. With the offer being limited, experts feel that a high number of customers would be flocking to their nearest Hyundai dealerships to avail schemes.
The Freedom Celebration programme offers discounts on both petrol and diesel version of the i20 hatchback. In this scheme, customers can save up to Rs. 28000 and Rs. 35000 on the petrol and diesel variants of the Hyundai i20, respectively. The South Korean auto maker is providing discounts of up to Rs. 21250 on the Eon compact car whereas benefits of up to Rs. 38000 are available on the i10 hatchback. On purchasing models like Santro, Accent, Verna diesel and Verna petrol under the Freedom Celebration programme, consumers can save up to Rs. 29350, Rs. 30700, Rs. 35000 and Rs. 25000, respectively. The biggest savings can be made on Santa Fe and Sonata models, which come with benefits of up to Rs. 1.45 lakh and Rs. 1.39 lakh, respectively.
The trend of offering deals on special occasions has been going on for a while in India. However, a sense of urgency can be sensed in the programmes on offer this time around as the condition of the market is highly unfavourable. According to statistics that were released recently, many car makers, including Hyundai, witnessed a decline in the growth rate. If reports are to be believed, then signs are not really encouraging for car makers. Bogged down by the financial crisis and the slowdown in demand, firms have been forced to resort to desperate measures, one of which is to offer huge discounts on vehicles.
