It seems that ‘Diesel’ is where the battle will be won or lost. With the increasing petrol prices, recent rumor being that oil companies want a Rs 8-10 increase, it is becoming increasingly difficult to run a petrol car.
Manufacturers are seeing that their product mix of petrol and diesel is changing to as adverse as 80% diesels. Clearly, this rapid dieselification of the market has caught everyone by surprise.
However, with the government showing signs of favoring the diesel engine cars, manufacturers are betting big on diesel.
Hyundai Eon may not yet have overpowered the Maruti Suzuki Alto to become the bestselling car in India, but that hasn’t stopped Hyundai from exploring external possibilities.
To keep the production lines busy, the company is targeting emerging markets in South Asia and Africa. Hyundai’s weapon of choice for these markets – Hyundai Eon.
The refreshed Hyundai i20 was first shown at Geneva last month. A few weeks back, India was the first launch pad for the Fluidic i20, though in a muted fashion.
Now, the Fluidic i20 heads to Great Britain for a starting price tag of £9,995 (INR 8 lakhs). Point to be noted, this is not a next generation i20 but a comprehensive facelift for the i20 to bring it at par with the rest of family design. Hyundai offers the 3-door model on the entry level petrol variants and the 1.4-liter diesel in a high spec variant. These are complemented by the 1.4-liter petrol with paired to an automatic transmission.
When automakers bring their products to India, there are two inclusions that are compulsory
1) Beige interior
2) Chrome toppings
For the Chinese market, Hyundai is going all out, launching their third and latest generation Elantra model at the Beijing Show that begins on the 23rd of April. The market composition or trend is no different in China. The Cruze is a covering ground very quickly in the D Segment and Hyundai is looking to unseat Bumblebee’s younger brother using the Fluidic design in the land of dragons!
The Hyundai Verna was the most important game changer for Hyundai. The new ‘Fluidic design’ catapulted Hyundai into the list of premium manufacturers. The new Verna was able to compete comfortably with the VW Vento and Honda City and Hyundai recently said it was ramping up supply to bring down waiting periods.
But its not just the exterior which is raking in praises from automotive community. Even the interiors is getting its fair share of appreciation.
In a statement issued today, Hyundai said it has begun ramping up the supply of diesel cars in a bid to bring down huge waiting periods, particularly of the i20 and Verna. These two vehicles are hot cakes in Hyundai’s diesel portfolio.
Hyundai will produce 10,500 diesel units of these two models up from the current 7,000 unit mark. As an effect, the waiting period for the Verna will drop from six months to two-three months while the new i20′s waiting will be brought down to about a month.
At first, Americans used to build the best cars on the market. Cadillacs, Mustangs, Corvettes ruled the roads. Then, power came in the hands of the Japanese with their Toyotas and Nissans that showed that cars need not be unreliable. Now, modern day threat comes from Koreans – specifically Hyundai/Kia.
Hyundai/Kia, now the world’s fifth-biggest carmaker in the world, is the envy of global rivals. Its class leading design, oodles of features and backed by affordable prices have made sure that it has given headaches to every single manufacturer in the world. But how did Hyundai get from making the ‘Accident’ to the revolutionary Genesis.
Here are some excerpts from an article from AutoNews explaining Hyundai’s Accent (pun intended):
Hyundai’s made a slow start with the marketing activities of the i20 facelift. The B+ Segment is the hottest playground at this time and the i20 is second only to the Swift.
Hyundai preferred not to conduct a launch for this model. It sent out a press release and updated its website with photographs and technical specs. We thought that was weird for a company that’s is in the best position to go in for the kill.
We’re not aware of a print campaign for the new i20. If we are wrong, please correct us with the details in the comment box below.
It seems that ‘Diesel’ is where the battle will be won or lost. With the increasing petrol prices, recent rumor being that oil companies want a Rs 8-10 increase, it is becoming increasingly difficult to run a petrol car.
