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Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), the country’s second largest passenger vehicle brand by volume, unveiled its new sub-4 metre compact sedan, Aura, for the world. The car will officially be launched in India next month.
The car will be positioned in the Maruti Dzire and Honda Amaze segment as the South Korean automaker is keen to strengthen its presence in the compact sedan segment, where it presently offers Accent, which will continue for some time.
Three engine options
The Aura will come in three engine options (BS VI compliant) – Kappa 1.0 T-GDI (petrol), 1.2 MPI (petrol) and 1.2 Ecotorq diesel. It will come with 12 segment-first features and attractive warranty package. It will also offer smart auto AMT options. It has been tested and evaluated across India for over 7,500 km, assessing its reliability and durability on different terrains. “The sub-4 metre compact sedan segment has strong demand potential with the entry of more and more young customers. Our Aura, with its new features and engine options, will be an attractive offering to those customers. This is for the Indian millennial,” SS Kim, Managing Director & CEO, HMIL, said after the unveiling of the new car.
SS Kim, MD and CEO, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, at a press conference after the unveiling of Aura in Chennai Bijoy Ghosh
He expressed confidence that Aura wouldn’t cannibalise the sales of Grand i10 or Elite i20 as its positioning would be very clear.
HMIL’s Director – Sales & Marketing, Tarun Garg, who recently joined the company, felt car buyers would be able to differentiate between a sedan and hatchback and thus Aura would create its own set of customers in its segment.
The company expects first-time car buyers also to consider Aura in view of the powertrain options and features incorporated in the car.
Asked about the development cost, Puneet Anand, Senior General Manager & Group Head – Corporate Affairs, HMIL, indicated that Hyundai, on an average, invested about ₹1,000 crore on any new platform/product.
Kim said the Chennai-built Aura would also be exported to potential markets such as West Asia depending on the demand or orders. He said the company’s volume decline was about 7 per cent as against the industry drop of about 13 per cent during this calendar year. Thus, HMIL will end 2019 with a single-digit drop in its total sales. Kim felt that uncertainty over BS VI vehicles in customers’ minds and prevailing negative sentiment were the major causes for the slowdown in the industry. It is expected that the second half of 2020 will turn positive for the industry and HMIL is hopeful of registering a single-digit growth in sales for the calendar year 2020.
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