Seven-seat Hyundai Creta could launch in India by 2021 with larger dimensions and will likely have an expanded range to rival SUVs in the sub-20 lakh range
Hyundai has had tremendous success in the compact SUV segment with the Creta and it remained as the best-selling SUV in the country before Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza took over the honours. While currently staying second to Brezza in monthly sales, the Creta is more upmarket and has a number of upcoming rivals waiting to seize its spotlight.
Having received a facelift in May 2018, the Creta continues to pouch big volumes and has been averaging above 10,000 units every month. The updates arrived in the form of exterior tweaks with interior and feature enhancements while the powertrain options were carried over. Hyundai could not replicate the same level of acceptance with the Tucson that competes against Jeep Compass, Volkswagen Tiguan, and upcoming Honda CR-V.
Although the existing Tucson is relatively new, Hyundai is already working on a thorough overhaul in its next generation as we have previously reported. The biggest addition will be the allowance of a third-row seat as the forthcoming Tucson will have larger dimensions. It will be positioned slightly above its current range (Rs. 18.29-25.73 lakh) to around Rs. 30 lakh for the high-end variants.
The inclusion of additional row along with souped-up features list will be pivotal in its new strategy. The Hyundai Creta, on the other hand, is expected to fill in for Tucson to a certain price bracket as it will also receive seven seats in its upcoming avatar due by the end of this decade or in 2021. Essentially, the bigger next-gen Creta will have an expanded range due to the room for two more occupants.
Hyundai exceeded its sales target last year with 5.2 lakh units and is pumping in $2 billion between 2017 and 2022 in the local operations. A slew of new products have been planned including a micro SUV slotting below the QXi subcompact SUV. Both will compete in volume segments and the seven-seat Creta will appeal for a wider band of the audience and firmly challenge as far as Mahindra XUV500 and Jeep Compass.
The South Korean auto major will also launch electrified Kona SUV next year in limited numbers and the resurrected Santro will be responsible for meeting the needs of entry-level customers in Rs. 4 lakh to Rs. 6 lakh price range (ex-showroom). Likely entering domestic scenes on October 23, Hyundai will eye the market share of popular Maruti Suzuki small cars.