South Asian Business news and information

Only 2 decades ago, very few people owned a car and car was considered to be a luxurious item. Even many rich people did not have a car. Now, India is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. The good thing is that some of the world’s largest automakers could understand that India is ideal for inexpensive cars. Today, Hyuandi launched Hyundai i10 model in the Indian market. This car has been produced in the manufacturing plant of Hyundai Motor India.

Business Standard wrote:

Hyundai Motor India today introduced its new compact car, i10, priced between Rs 3.39 lakh and Rs 3.98 lakh. This is the first car from Hyundai that makes its world debut in India.

"The i10 will be manufactured only in our Indian plant, and exported to over 70 countries," Hyundai Motor Company president Jae Kook Choi said here.

Hyundai Motor India is a strong player in the Indian car market and in fact, Hyundai Motor India is the second largest producer of cars in India. The company wants to promote Hyundai i10 aggressively in the Indian market and there is report that former finance secretary Ashok Jha has been hired by Hyundai Motor India as its President.

Sify wrote:

Hyundai Motor India has announced a new president - former finance secretary Ashok Jha. DNA Money had reported this in August.

His appointment comes when Hyundai is in the process of making India a hub for small cars.

Jha's familiarity with the functioning of the government appears to have been the main criterion for Hyundai choosing him for the post that has been lying vacant for the past one-and-a-half years since B V R Subbu left the company.

Ashok Jha was high level bureaucrat in Indian government and he knows almost every senior politician and bureaucrat in Indian government. Hyundai i10 will surely become popular as the price looks to be affordable for many middle class families in India. Of course, Hyundai Motor India wants to exports Hyundai i10 in various countries of Asia and Europe.

Bloomberg wrote:

Hyundai Motor Co., the biggest auto exporter from India, expects to ship 110,000 i10 minicars to Europe, the Middle East and Asia next year as the South Korean automaker boosts production at its new factory.

The i10 minicar, set to be unveiled in New Delhi today, will also be sold in India, the Seoul-based automaker said in an e- mailed statement.

Hyundai, Nissan Motor Co. and Suzuki Motor Corp. are setting up factories in India to produce cars for exports, taking advantage of cheaper labor and parts costs. India's government cut taxes on small cars last year in a bid to make the country an automobile hub.

1.1-liter gasoline engine is on which Hyundai i10 will run. About the features of Hyundai i10, Indiatimes wrote:

It develops a power of 66.7 ps at 5500 rpm and has a torque of 10.1 kgm at 2800 rpm.

Interestingly, this will be the first two-box hatchback in the country to offer a factory-fitted sunroof in this segment.

The car’s other features include the rear spoiler, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear knob, keyless entry and a stereo system. The car has a wheel base of 2380 mm which is the longest in this segment.

There are many other goodies thrown in. Safety features include anti-lock braking system (ABS), seat belts with pre-tensioner, dual airbags, impact sensing auto door unlock system and high-mounted stop lamp The car will have four variants D-Lite, Era, Magna and D-auto.

I think that Hyundai i10 will become popular in India. I just wish that Hyundai can come up with an aggressive and attractive marketing strategy for Hyundai i10. I would love to see Hyundai Motor India spending some money on TV advertisement campaign for Hyundai i10.   

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