The Hindu Business Line : Head turner Tuscani coupe may be round the corner

"Based on the response of the customers during the Auto Expo, we are considering the possibility of launching it in India," the Hyundai Motor India President, Mr B.V.R. Subbu, told BusinessLine. Mr Subbu, however, did not specify how soon Tuscani, the only sports coupe to come out of the Land of the Morning Calm, will be launched in India.

But it would be easier and much cheaper for Hyundai to launch Tuscani in India because it shares the platform with Elantra, which was launched recently in the country. For Elantra alone, Hyundai India invested around $17 million. It expects to sell around 8,000 units of Elantra in 12 months.

The two-door Tuscani is already available in certain other countries and is considered the prettiest car to have rolled out of Hyundai and comes with a 2.0 litre DOHC engine and for those want more zip, it comes with a 2.7 litre V6 engine. The Tuscani has an electric-tilting moonroof, 16-inch alloy wheels, anti-lock brakes system, tilt wheel with airbags, car computer, door puddle lights and an auxiliary sports gauge which comprise a torque meter, vacuum guage and voltmeter.

According to auto analysts, Hyundai has been able to reduce costs of building the coupe largely because it shares the components with sedans. But that has not prevented the car maker from making it larger than most other coupes.

But Hyundai will first seek to consolidate its operations this year which will see launch of Getz sometime during July-August. With the launch of Elantra and Getz, and its plans to expand capacity this year, Hyundai will have a busy year ahead. During 2003-04, Hyundai's sales jumped 53 per cent to around 1.71 lakh units with sales of its B segment car Santro crossing the 1 lakh mark, the highest in its category in a single year.