Hyundai will host the global debut of the seven-seater Alcazar soon in India ahead of its launch in the coming months
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) will launch the seven-seater version of the Creta known as the Alcazar in the due course of this year and it has already been spotted testing a number of times on public roads. It will help in expanding the brand’s SUV portfolio alongside sticking by the trend of manufacturers launching the seven-seater iterations of their regular five-seat mid-size SUVs.
The second-largest carmaker in the country sold around 1.8 lakh SUVs in the last calendar year and led the way ahead of others courtesy of the latest generation Creta and Venue. Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) MD and CEO SS Kim told in a recent interview that his brand will “further strengthen” the SUV lineup. He also confirmed that the sales of diesel cars across different segments will continue as long as the customers want them.
The South Korean auto major has a glaring presence in most of the volume-based segments for under Rs. 10 lakh and is one of the reasons for gaining high market share every month behind Maruti Suzuki. The company will more likely enter the micro SUV segment sometime next year as what has been internally codenamed the AX1 has the potential to compete against Mahindra KUV NXT, upcoming Tata HBX, and the likes.
Despite its wide presence, Hyundai has stayed away from the MPV segment for a long time. While the Hexa Space concept showcased at the 2012 Auto Expo gave a glimmer of hope, it did not transform into a production model. SS Kim acknowledged the market demand for multi-seater vehicles and he confirmed that his brand is preparing “some product and hopefully in the future” it will be introduced.
It does not necessarily have to be a traditional MPV though but “a vehicle with multi-seating configuration”. Kims expects a substantial improvement in export volumes as the global market is recovering from the health crisis. He further noted the initiatives such as Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme would encourage shipments to overseas markets.
Moreover, he said the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency) and RDE (Real-time Driving Emission) regulations would increase materials costs and ultimately the final asking price of vehicles.