Hyundai Unveils Its EV

For Hyundai Motors, it seems like filling the void. The void of entry into electric cars segment. We have of late seen or heard most of the car makers, if not all, join the electric car manufacturing band wagon. Hyundai it looks as if, a strong believer in the adage ‘Make hay while sunshine’.

Hyundai Korea has just done the much speculated thing. After a quick heart transplant in its existing and popular small car i10, the guys in Hyundai have brought out the new Electric Vehicle (EV). This creation will most certainly star in the Frankfurt Motor Show later this month. We hear that the guys in Hyundai Motors have been slogging day in and day out on this project.

Hyundai i10, a small car and a hatch back will be positioned as an example of electric urban or city vehicle. It is said that the Hyundai i10 EV comes with a 66 bhp electric motor powered by a 16 kwh lithium-ion battery. The battery cells are provided by LG Chem. Driving range is 145 kilometers and top speed is 133 kph. 0 to 60 time is a rather leisurely 15 seconds. Hyundai also has added an intrinsic liquid thermal management system in the battery which makes the car charge upto 85 per cent in 15-minutes flat at 413 V. How cool is that?

But Hyundai has borrowed a leaf from GM Volt’s story and is leasing a low volume fleet in Korea in 2010 to understand the psyche of the people and probably would go into global production in 2012. Hyundai says that the battery cost would be above the sky limit for anybody to own at the moment forcing Hyundai will offer these vehicles as lease-only for the foreseeable future. In fact, the price of the pack is greater than the cost of an entire conventional gas-powered i10.

Now for the price update you’ll have been eagerly looking in this blog for. Ladies and Gentlemen, Hyundai i10 EV’s 16 kwh battery pack itself costs, Hold our breath, 10,000 euro. Ok, allow us to translate this complicated currency with our own. It roughly could read something like Rs. 7,00,000. Alright that might sound affordable to you, but we are being polite in reminding you it is just the cost of the battery pack and the whole car could actually cost a bomb.

But since, Hyundai has had at least the courtesy of admitting the battery pack cost of their Electric Vehicle, we also think that GM Volt’s battery cost also should be hovering around in that price range since they also use the same supplier ‘s cells and also have the intrinsic temperature management system.

Ah Guys, We also would like to add something else before we forget. This car though a hybrid in itself, the energy consumption is awesome. Hyundai i10 returns with a mind-blowing mileage of 7.8 miles per kwh. The Volt achieves 5 miles per kwh. Way to go Hyundai. It seems like Koreans can teach a lesson or two in conserving that precious energy.

For us Indians, we should be glad that we have Hyundai’s i10 doing rounds here in India. So we know that it surely would be in Indian shores sometime soon after the global production of the EV kicks off. We also are staunch believers in the adage ‘Better late than never’.

Automatic cars find many new women buyers The auto industry has some new positioning working out to its advantage. Automatic transmission cars are se

The auto industry has some new positioning working out to its advantage. Automatic transmission cars are seeing brisk sales, thanks to the growing number of female customers who have developed a penchant for such cars. It is widely believed that automatic transmission variants of a number of models are finding a lot of woman takers as it enhances the comfort to drive such cars.

A number of companies that have lined up new automatic transmission-enabled models like Hyundai's i20, GM's Captiva (AT version), Fiat's Linea et al. Moreover, the recently launched models like Honda City, Mitsubishi Outlander, Mahindra Scorpio etc are already equipped with the aforesaid feature. Unlike before, carmakers are offering new-age five to six speed automatic transmission systems which are offering better fuel-efficiency along with improved pick up and performance.

One of the top-selling cars of such variants is the premium hatchback car-i10, which is selling over 1,600 automatic transmission variants per month, which is more than the company's initial estimates.

It was reported earlier that Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M), on 22nd September'08, has launched the Scorpio Automatic in Pune and Bangalore, which incorporates a fully automatic 6-speed gearbox and the powerful 2.2 litre mHawk engine. Scorpio is the first Indian brand and the first SUV in its class to offer a 6-speed fully automatic transmission.

According to a senior representative of Hyundai Motor India Limited, the sale of automatic variants of i10 have exceeded the company's expectations. He added that there has been an overwhelming response from woman drivers and the growing congestion in the urban centres is pushing up demand. He also indicated that the company will also roll out the automatic transmission variant in its Verna sedan too and would also bring a variant for the physically challenged.

Commenting on the new trend, one of the top honchos of Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) has stated that the company sells the automatic transmission variants for most of its models like Civic, Accord, City, CRV. He added that female buyers are inclined towards high-end features and automatic transmission is one of them.

According to a senior official of GM India, the Captiva model has been selling like hot cakes. Buoyed by the burgeoning demand, the company has decided to launch the automatic variant soon (with a four-wheel drive), that will cost around Rs. 20 lakh.

Hyundai to Bring Full I-Series Small Cars to India

Hyundai Motor India Ltd. is bringing its entire i-series range of compact cars to India in a well-orchestrated plan.

Despite a gloomy market, Hyundai is riding high on the i10, launched last year. The new model in its first seven months sold more than 65,000 units in India.

The subcompact now offers a choice of a 1.1L Epsilon or 1.2L new Kappa engine. The newer mill has more power, improved fuel economy and meets Euro-5 emissions standards with 119 g/km of carbon dioxide.

“With continuous innovation in technology and design, the engine is the best in its class,” says Hyundai India Managing Director and CEO H.S. Lheem. “With continuous innovation in technology and design, the engine is the best in its class,” says Hyundai India Managing Director and CEO H.S. Lheem.

The Hyundai i20 Getz replacement, which makes its debut at the Paris auto show in October, will be available here by December, and in two years time the i30 and i40 will arrive. Additionally, the auto maker in the next three to four years will offer an 0.8L small car now under development that will launch globally from India.

The i20 will be built alongside the i10 at Hyundai’s recently opened, second Indian facility in Sriperumbudur. Parent Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. insists it is not looking to compete with the super low-priced Tata Nano, which will sell for $2,500.

“(The) Nano is not our focus segment. We do not have the capability or expertise to match Tata (Motors Ltd.),” Lheem says.

Hyundai India’s combined domestic sales and exports jumped 33.9% in August, to 44,710 units. That compares with declines at Maruti Suzuki Ltd., down 9.2%, and Tata, off 6.2%.

To meet the industry slowdown, Hyundai India has changed its production plans. In the year’s first-half, the auto maker built 58% of its cars for local consumption and 42% for exports.Second-half builds will see 45% earmarked for the domestic market and 55% for export.

Hyundai is India’s largest exporter of cars, shipping 23,100 units in August. Hyundai also has deferred its decision to introduce a third shift at its new plant with a 300,000-unit annual capacity in the wake of the slowing market here. The plant produces about 830 vehicles per day with two day shifts. The nightshift, if introduced, would have added 1,200 workers and taken output to 1,190 vehicles per day. Hyundai’s first plant, which also has an annual capacity of 300,000 units, employs three shifts and rolls out 1,080 vehicles per day.

Hyundai India sells 10 models, with 30 variants across all the segments.

The new Kappa mill is manufactured at Hyundai’s newly opened $250 million engine and transmission plant in Chennai that has annual capacity for 250,000 units.

Developed over a period of 48 months, the Kappa is being produced in three variations for India, Europe and other world markets.

The India version has a displacement of 1.2L and generates 80 hp. For Europe and other markets, the engine has a 2.5L displacement.

The Kappa-equipped i10 here will be available with a 4-speed automatic transmission. “Looking at the current market scenario, we are happy with Hyundai’s overall sales,” says Arvind Saxena, senior vice president. “This again reinforces our belief that a strong product portfolio will see you through the tough times.”

Carmakers offer gifts and gold to lure customers

It’s raining gold in the car market. Fighting sluggish market conditions, carmakers are offering diamonds sets, gold coins & chains, silver plates and MP3 music systems to lure customers into their showrooms before the festive season.

Traditionally, festive season has meant free insurance covers and auto accessories for buyers. However, this time around, carmakers such as Hyundai Motors and Ford India are offering precious metals to attract female customers and new buyers. Hyundai Motor India (HMI) is offering a free gold coin with its entire range (except i10 AT and Getz 1.5L CRDi) and an MP3 player with the Verna sedan range and the 1.1L & 1.3L Getz hatchback cars.

HMI managing director HS Lheem said: “We are offering these gifts as part of our successful decade-long operations in India. Besides, with these valuable offerings, we’re making Hyundai products very attractive for our customers.”

While Ford Motors India, which recently gave a facelift to Fiesta, is now offering Tanishq diamonds worth Rs 20,000 with every Fiesta. It has also started special offers including cash incentives for corporate and public sector buyers.

Car sales have nosedived in the past two months after a three year-long growth drive. While sales grew 3% in July, August saw a 1.71% dip year-on-year. To fight the slowdown, other companies are taking different routes to tap the market. Maruti Suzuki India has launched special incentives to attract over 25.4 lakh employees from the insurance, banking and retail sector with additional discounts of Rs 17,000 on SX4, Rs 5,000 on M800 & Alto, Wagon R, Estilo and Rs 4,500 on Swift (petrol version).

“It is a tough time and we are concentrating on non-core markets. Banks, financial institutions and insurance companies make up a big market, but still remain tapped. We are directly giving cash discounts to customers in place of tangibles,” a senior executive of Maruti said.

American auto major General Motor has also followed the similar path offering huge cash discounts. The highest cash rebate of Rs 58,000 comes on the Spark compact car, followed by Rs 46,000 on Tavera multi-utility vehicles. Other pre-Diwali offers include Rs 28,000 discount on Optra Magnum sedan along with a 4-5% interest waiver on all loan deals.

Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) has plunged into the discount market for the first time and has waived 50% insurance premium on its popular City and Civic sedans, besides offering comprehensive warranty and service packages to the customers.

Hyundai launches "Kappa Challenge"

Hyundai Motor India, the second largest passenger car maker and the largest exporter of cars from India in a first-of-its-kind initiative has thrown open the 'Kappa Challenge' - a unique concept to touch, feel, drive and experience the all new powerful i10 equipped with Kappa engine to all its existing and potential customers. Set to prove the supremacy of Kappa engine as compared to its competitors in its category, the 'Kappa Challenge' will start from 23 August, 2008 across 10 different cities in India.

One of the first event to be organized at Andheri Sports Complex in Mumbai on the 23 - 24 August, the challenge is open to all the existing and potential customers. The participants will go head-to-head completing a set of challenges and also driving other cars to find out which is the better car of the lot.

Throughout the session the participants will be test driving the i10 Kappa and the competitor cars in different driving and parking conditions and will be assessed on their driving and parking skills. All the participants will be handed out an assured gift apart from the grand prize of an i10 Kappa to be won through lucky draw.

The 'Kappa Challenge' will also offer several other interesting options to choose from such as Special Finance Scheme counter, Product Demonstration & Sales counter, Used Car counter, Accessories zone and Children's fun-filled zone. The customers will also have the advantage of availing the benefits of Always Around activity of getting their cars cleaned-up, polished and basic mechanical inspection done at the venue itself.

Speaking on the occasion, Arvind Saxena, Sr VP, Marketing & Sales, HMIL, said, "Our new i10 with the Kappa engine is the best in its class today with more power, less fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions. We have created this event to provide an opportunity to all our existing and potential customers to find out for themselves about the superior features and driveability of the i10 and compare it to other cars in this class. We as manufacturers might be absolutely convinced about our product but it is very important for us to instil the same level of confidence in our potential customers as well. We are convinced that anyone who takes the challenge will go away convinced that the i10 is the best product in its category."

The Kappa i10 was launched in three variants the Magna, Sportz and the Asta with all top end features like the sunroof, 2-Din audio system, a unique red pack for the Sportz interiors and some class leading safety features like anti-lock braking system (ABS) and dual airbags. The new Kappa i10 is also available with an automatic transmission and it is sold along with the existing Epsilon 1.1 litre engine variant and is available in a range of 10 colours.

Hyundai exports i10s to Sudan

HYUNDAI Motor India Ltd ( HMIL) on Wednesday shipped its first consignment of disassembled knocked down ( DKD) cars to Sudan. With an order for more than 2,000 units, the first shipment comprised 96 DKD units of Hyundai’s i10.



The company’s Sriperumbudur plant near Chennai has been nominated by Hyundai Motor Company as its global manufacturing hub for small cars meant for exports. Earlier, the company was exporting its Santro model to Sudan.

H. S. Lheem, Managing Director of HMIL said that Hyundai i10 has achieved over 100,000 units of export orders in record time of less than seven months from diverse countries spanning different continents making it one of the most popular cars to be launched recently.

Hyundai packs i10 with Kappa punch

HYUNDAI Motor India Ltd (HMIL) on Tuesday rolled out a new model of the i10 compact car fitted with its latest and more powerful 1.2 litre Kappa engine that is expected to give five per cent more mileage than the existing 1.1 litre engine fitted in the car.The new engine also emits less exhaust fumes. The i10 will also have a 4-speed automatic transmission variant, which will be more convenient for women especially in heavy city traffic as they will not have to press the clutch and change gears, HMIL managing director HS Lheem told journalists.

The Kappa i10 is available with Hyundai dealers at an entry level price of Rs 3.9 lakh. This compares with the existing i10 which costs Rs 3.37 lakh. The car is being launched in three variants —the Magna, Sportz and Asta with the high-end automatic transmission model with a sunroof priced at Rs 5,43,644.

This variant will also be fitted with front airbags and an anti-lock braking system. Lheem said the new engine and transmission plant at Sriperumbudur near Chennai has the capacity to produce 2,50,000 units of the new Kappa engine every year for powering the i10 cars to be sold both in the domestic as well as European markets. “The engine has been developed at a huge cost of $450 million over 41 months and will be produced in India for the world market,” he added. Lheem said the existing 1.1 litre engine has been a success and will therefore, continue to power both the Santro and the i10 “but the new Kappa engine will significantly raise the bar in the segment.”

The Kappa engine has an aluminium block, which makes it much lighter than the other engines, improves the power- weight ratio as well as fuel efficiency. It also helps cool the engine more quickly. The engine is fitted with a double overhead cam shaft, 16 valves and 32 bit microprocessor, which enables it to deliver more power with less noise and vibration.

The engine meets the latest Euro5 emission norms and emits only 119 g/ km of carbon dioxide, which is the lowest for this class of cars, Lheem claimed. He said the i10 has been doing well in both the Indian and European markets. The company had sold as many as 7,500 units of the i10 in the domestic market in the last eight months and had an order book of 1.1 lakh units in exports over the last seven months. Over 70 per cent of the car market in India comprises of compact cars.

The fast growing sales of i10 have taken Hyundai’s market share in the country from 19.5 per cent to 25.4 per cent and cover part of the gap with market leader Maruti. Lheem said the company was also working on a diesel variant of the i10, which is currently being exported. However, the cost at the moment was too high for the Indian market. “We are working on ways to reduce the cost of the diesel engine and making it more affordable for the Indian customer, but this, however, will take some time,” he added. HMIL has emerged as the largest exporter of cars in the country. Lheem said that about 40 per cent of the products were being exported from the Indian plant while 60 per cent was sold within the country.

Car-mania continues despite inflation

HYUNDAI Motor India Ltd (HMIL) on Monday reported a34 per cent increase in domestic car sales during June at 21,881 units while the country’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki recorded a flat growth of 0.7 per cent selling 56,411 units during the month. SUV maker Mahindra &Mahindra (M& M), which markets diesel- run vehicles, recorded an eight per cent growth during the month. Hyundai did well with its i10 and Santro, while Maruti Suzuki notched up a high growth of 48 per cent in the A3 segment with its Swift Dzire and Sx4 models, selling as many as 5,807 units during the month, compared to 3,923 units in June last year. Inclusive of exports, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd reported a slightly higher growth of 2.22 per cent rise in total vehicle sales during June at 61,247 units, compared to 59,917 units in the same month last year.

In the A2 segment, comprising Alto, Zen Estillo, Wagon R and Swift, the company registered a marginal growth of 0.3 per cent at 37,767 units, against 37,646 units in the same month last year. Its M800 model recorded 13.73 per Maruti Suzuki’s sales grew 48 per cent year- on- year cent decline at 5,361 units in June, compared to 6,214 units during the corresponding month last year. Exports during the month stood at 4,836 units compared to 3,917 units in the same month last year, up 23.5 per cent. Hyundai’s overall sales, including exports, were up 45.3 per cent at 40,182 units during June compared to 27,653 units in the same month a year ago, said a company statement. Its exports for the month rose to 18,301 units, against 11,318 units during the same month of the previous year. HMIL sold 33,859 units of hatchbacks Santro, Getz and i10, 6,272 units of Accent and Verna, 47 units of Sonata Embera and four units of its SUV Tucson in June. “At a time when the industry is already under tremendous pressure because of higher interest rates, rise in fuel costs and rising inflation, it is indeed heartening to see that Hyundai products continue to be an affordable and attractive buy for most car buyers,’’ the company’s vice- president Arvind Saxena said.

The company’s i10 has done well and it has sold over 1,00,000 units in less than six months since its launch, he added. Mahindra &Mahindra said its domestic sales in June went up by 8.17 per cent to 18,179 units, against 16,805 units it sold in the same month last year. Its total sales, including exports, grew 8.78 per cent to 19,371 vehicles, compared to 17,807 units in the corresponding period last year, the company said in a statement.

Hyundai too raising car prices as input costs mount

HYUNDAI Motor India Ltd ( HMIL), the Indian arm of the Korean automobile maker, on Wednesday said it would raise the prices of its products by up to two per cent from the first week of June.



“There has been an increase in the input costs and we have been absorbing it for a while. The situation now is such that we have to pass some parts of it to the consumers,” Hyundai Motor India Ltd senior vice president marketing and sales Arvind Saxena said. He said the company will hike the prices of its various models by up to two per cent. “The price increase will come into effect from the first week of June,” he added.

Hyundai currently sells hatchback models Santro, i10, Getz along with sedans Accent, Verna, Sonata Embera in the country. The companys move to hike prices follows rival Maruti Suzuki India Ltd ( MSIL), which last week hiked prices across various models by between Rs 1,000 and Rs 18,000.

Maruti had hiked the prices of all its petrol variants — the hatchback Swift, sedan SX4 and the Gypsy — by Rs 9,000, while the price of the diesel version of Swift was raised by Rs 15,000. It had also increased the price of all variants of Zen Estilo and WagonR LPG by Rs 1,000 and of Alto and M800 by Rs 1,500.

Prices of all variants of Omni and WagonR Petrol were hiked by Rs 2,000 and that of multi- utility vehicle (MUV) Versa by Rs 8,000. Earlier, in January, Hyundai Motor India had raised the prices of all its models by between two to three per cent.