Hyundai India's MPV project put on hold, focus on SUV segment - Report
Tucson and new Elantra expected to launch this year.
Until October last year, it appeared that the MPV segment would be the next market for Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL), the country's second largest car maker. The company's chief coordinator (sales & marketing) Mr. Y J Ahn in October 2015 told a newspaper that the design and "other aspects" of the MPV were "finalized", and a launch was expected in the festive season period this year.
A new report from Overdrive however states that HMIL has put the MPV project (project codename 'IP') on hold, and instead has decided to focus on the SUV segment. To quote Mr. YK Koo, MD, HMIL -
I never talked about an MPV for the Indian market. In the Indian market, the SUV segment is growing faster than MPVs. So we will concentrate on SUV Creta, and we want to launch the Tucson SUV this year and a sub-4-metre SUV in the next two years.
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Going by Mr. Koo's statement, it would appear that a Hyundai MPV is unlikely to be seen in the Indian market this year. The brand, which is targeting the mid- and premium-segments, is expected to launch the Tucson SUV in the coming months and the all-new 2016 Hyundai Elantra this calendar year. It is also gearing up to launch special editions on the Hyundai Grand i10 and Xcent.
[Source - Overdrive]