The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Hyundai looks at Europe to market its latest model

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 02, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Hyundai looks at Europe to market its latest model

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Unveiling Hyundai’s Motor’s latest product, the i10 at its Bangalore launch here on Thursday, the company top brass projected its plan to produce 2.3 lakh cars next year, about half of them targeted at the international, mainly European market. This year’s target stood at 3.2 lakh units for all its car variants, which would be raised to 5.3 lakh units for the coming year. The i10 is Hyundai’s first car to make its world debut in India. The country will also be the new car’s sole production and export hub. “We started the mass production of this car last October. So far, 1,500 units have been manufactured. By the end of this year, the volume will go up to 15,000 units,” Hyundai Motor India Managing Director H.S. Lheem told presspersons here.

He said the Hyundai mother company had decided to make India its small car production hub. “All European exports will go from our Chennai factory. We have got a huge export order, including a contract for 9,700 units from the European market,” he said.

Entering the Indian market in 1996, Hyundai had launched its first car, the Santro, which eventually became popular in 1998.

The company today has a range of cars for the Indian market from the Santro Xing to the top end premium luxury car, the Sonata Embera and the SUV Tucson at the top end.

Hyundai currently has a market share of 18 per cent and expects to grow to 20 per cent in the next calendar year.

The new i10 is powered by a 1.1 litre, iRDE petrol engine. The unit develops a maximum power of 66.7PS @5,500 rpm, and a peak torque of 10.1 kgm@2,800 rpm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission with a console mounted ergonomic, short throw, i-shift gear box designed to free up the space between the driver and the passenger seat.

All the i10 models are equipped with AC / heating, folding rear seats, dual tone beige interiors, rear seat belts and an electronic trip and odometer as standard equipment.

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