Hyundai Creta has made a sizeable impact in the mid-size SUV segment over the last five years and it continues its legacy with the second-gen model
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) introduced the Creta for the first time in July 2015 and it became a roaring success for the brand in a short span of time. While the Renault Duster can be credited with kick-starting the mid-size SUV segment, it was the Creta that really took the proceedings to newer heights. The five-seater debuted in India with 1.4-litre diesel, 1.6-litre diesel and 1.6-litre petrol engines.
With three different engines to choose from, the Creta attracted a wide band of customers as a feature-packed offering. Despite Maruti Suzuki launched the S-Cross in the similar price bracket, the first-gem Creta’s initial popularity led to it being a constant seller at the top of the sales charts. The global SUV found success in Latin American and Chinese markets as well.
Over the years, the Creta has helped in Hyundai being a leading car exporter from India. The mid-size SUV did draw plenty of attention in the last half a decade courtesy of the Creta, as more manufacturers devised strategies to grab a big pie in the space. However, the Creta stood tall by regularly averaging more than 10,000 unit sales monthly.
In just over four months of its domestic debut, the Creta did send shockwaves to its competitors by garnering more than 70,000 bookings. By late February 2019, the South Korean auto major sold a total of over five lakh units of the Creta (3.7 lakh examples in India and about 1.4 lakh units in export markets).
The Creta played a huge role in customers opting for SUVs over the traditional sedans and hatchbacks as well, going by the global trend. The second-generation Creta made its world premiere as ix25 at the 2019 Shanghai Motor Show in China in April before reaching India this past February at the 2020 Auto Expo. The all-new model had big shoes to fill upon arrival and it has lived up to the expectations thus far.
The launch of Kia’s debut product, the Seltos, snatched some amount of sales from the Creta since its debut last year. But, Hyundai’s response with the new generation Creta has been highly impactful. It shows the strong buyers confidence in the brand ‘Creta’, as it became the most sold car in the country, first for a SUV, last month.
The Creta is currently retailed with three engine choices: a 1.5-litre petrol, a 1.5-litre diesel and a 1.4-litre turbo petrol. The 1.5-litre petrol develops 115 PS and 144 Nm, the 1.5-litre diesel kicks out 115 PS and 250 Nm and the smaller petrol motor generates 140 PS and 242 Nm.
As for the transmission options, a six-speed MT or six-speed CVT in the 1.5 petrol, a six-speed MT or six-speed AT in the 1.5 diesel and a seven-speed DCT in the turbo petrol are offered.
The Creta offers several segment-first features and some of the key equipment present are a 10.25-inch touchscreen, panoramic sunroof, wireless charger, Electronic Parking Brake, leather-wrapped steering wheel, Blue Link connectivity, premium quality interior and a host of comfort, convenience, driver-assistive and safety features.
In the Korean SUV, the panoramic sunroof can be operated through voice commands adding convenience while ventilation feature can be found in the driver as well as front passenger seats and auto hill-hold function even in the manual version. As for the dimensions, the new Creta is 30 mm longer, 10 mm wider and is 43 mm lower to the ground with wheelbase longer by 20 mm.
The bigger dimensions have ensured more room for the occupants on the inside. With the new-gen Creta a radical departure in terms of design and more modern and feature-packed inside the cabin, there is no wonder why customers are preferring it in large numbers. It is kind of a segment above compared to the old model.
It offers more features than the entry-level BMW X1 for less than half of its price tag. Having rewritten the landscape of the mid-size SUV space, it has the capacity to eat into the sales of SUVs from a segment above and was responsible for the decline in sales tally of the C-segment sedans over the years due to its overwhelming popularity.
