Hyundai i10 Achieves New Milestone, Records Fastest 3 Lakh Sale

Hyundai Motor India Ltd. India’s second largest passenger car manufacturer and the largest exporter today achieved yet another key milestone in its decade old journey in India by clocking the fastest three lakh i10 sales since its launch on 31st October, 2007.



Of the three lakh i10 cars sold, over 1.44 lakh cars have been sold in the domestic market and around 1.56 lakh units were exported to over 100 countries across Latin America, European Union, Middle East and South East Asia. Hyundai i10 has achieved the fastest 3 lakh sales in a very short span of time which is the fastest amongst its competitors. The ‘Made in India’ car from Hyundai’s stable went global in December, 2007 when it was unveiled at the Bologna Motor Show, Italy and since then its total export orders have reached a remarkable 150,000 plus units in just over15 months.

Speaking on this momentous occasion Arvind Saxena, Sr VP, Marketing & Sales, HMIL said “Hyundai Motor India Ltd has constantly focused on providing the best for its customers be it design, technology or the best value for money proposition. And the resounding success of the i10 just proves that our customers value these parameters as well and have reinforced our belief that, if we provide the best, we will always be on the fore front be it the domestic or the overseas market. The i10 which meets the stringent safety and emission norms even in the European market has become an undoubted segment leader in both the domestic and overseas market and I sincerely thank our customers in India and in over 100 countries across the world for choosing to drive Hyundai i10.”

The customers and the automotive media were both equally impressed by the i10 when it was launched and the media which backed its belief by conferring upon the i10 all the ‘Car of the Year 2008’ awards making it the first car to win all the Car of the Year awards including the coveted ‘Indian Car of the Year’ (ICOTY) from a jury comprising of the most respected automotive journalist in India – the i10 truly has become a global car.

Bajaj low cost US$ 2500 small car delayed

Bajaj says that its low cost US$ 2500 small car project has been delayed by around 5-6 months. This means that the car may not be able to see the light in 2011 as was being expected.

The car had given hope that the race for cheap car would not remain confined to Tata’s Nano car that is slated to be launched in April. Nano too has been delayed by several months.

Tata Motors had announced to launch its lakhtakiya (RS 1 lakh) car last October. But so far the company has not been able to launch the car.

Bajaj Auto in association with Renault SA, Nissan Motor Co. had said in January last month that they were going to throw competition to Ratan Tata’s pet project Nano. The two companies had said that that they would collaborate to produce a small car that would cost around $2,500 (Rs1 lakh at that time’s exchange rate), making it the second car in the world and in India with ambitions to be the cheapest four-wheeler on the road.

It was said at that time that the three firms will set up a joint venture company in which India’s No. 2 motorbike maker, Bajaj, will hold the single largest majority with half the ownership, while partners Nissan and Renault will hold a quarter each. On sale from 2011, the cars—some 400,000 of them each year—will be produced in Maharashtra, at Chakan, near the existing manufacturing facilities of both Bajaj and Renault.

But now Rajiv Bajaj says: "The project remains largely on schedule, though in the course of development some specifications have been reviewed, leading to adjustments in the overall schedule." It had been reported in a section of the media that the ultra low-cost (ULC) project would be delayed by more than a year as Rajiv Bajaj was not happy with the work done so far, and he demanded major modification in the design.

Rajiv Bajaj went on to add “Bajaj has primary responsibility for the design, development, manufacturing, and supply chain activities of this project. Bajaj is proceeding as before to implement this project and any financial or other constraints that Renault-Nissan may have, have no bearing on the ability of Bajaj to implement this project".

Luxury carmakers BMW and Mercedes slug it out in India

In recessionary times, the Indian luxury car market is seeing a battle of sorts between two of the biggest global brands i.e. Mercedes Benz and BMW. In January, BMW managed to beat Mercedes Benz in sales for the first time in the history of Mercedes in India. However, in February, Mercedes managed to regain the top slot in February.

The battle so far

Mercedes Benz sold a little over 250 cars compared to BMW’s 244 cars in February.In January, Mercedes Benz sold 132 cars compared to BMWs 272.

So cumulatively, for the months of January and February, BMW is still leading the pack by a margin of 132 cars.



Going ahead

Analysts say that ahead it is going to a much tougher battle because BMW will try its best to keep the lead, as far as a cumulative sale is concerned. During the second half of this year, BMW will launch all new models in a new segment.

Peter Kronschnabl, President, BMW India, says, "We believe this year you will see a maximum growth of 10-20% and this is only in the second half. The first half will be very challenging for all manufacturers and then hopefully, things will smoothen out."

Geneva fever

THE car industry might be in the middle of its worst recession ever, but you would never have guessed it as Geneva was bursting with new motors.

More than 85 new models made their debut and they were the best reasons for governments around the world to back the motor industry.



The threat of redundancies and the feeling car firms were tightening their belts was always lying just under the surface of every new model’s launch.

But for at least a day I would prefer to celebrate some cracking new cars of all prices and styles.

Starting with the world’s cheapest four-seat car, the dinky Tata Nano is about to go on sale in India for 100,000 rupees (less than £2,000). It will go on sale in the UK and Europe in 2010.

Tata boss Ratan Tata, who also owns Jaguar/Land Rover, had good news for his British luxury car firm when he revealed that Jaguar would be adding a two-seat sports car to their range. But the most important new family car was the Ford Iosis Max concept.



It gives a very strong indication, particularly from the front, of how the next generation Focus — the UK’s best-selling car — will look but without the sliding doors.

Elements of the Iosis Max design will also be found in the next version of the Focus C-Max people carrier when both new models arrive in late 2010.


Volkswagen unveiled arguably their most crucial model with the stylish new Polo, It goes on sale here this autumn.

It has definite shades of the new Golf and the Scirocco coupé from the front. It is a guaranteed sales hit with prices expected to start around £8,000.



Renault unveiled four new models, including the new Scenic, Megane estate and a face-lifted Clio.

But the car that really caught the eye was the racy RS high-performance version of the Megane coupé. The RS badge clearly throws down the gauntlet to the latest Focus RS.

Although the Renault is slightly less powerful at 250bhp, it will still be more than fast enough to lose you your licence and will undercut the Ford’s £25,000 price tag by a couple of grand.



French rivals Citroen and Peugeot also had plenty to shout about.

We’ve already reviewed the Citroen DS Inside, but this French rival to the Mini gets better every time I see it. It goes on sale next year. The Peugeot 3008 is more practical than pretty, a very versatile five-seat family car.

It’s another example of just how much the French makers are raising their game when it comes to interior quality. On sale later this year.

I still can’t quite believe that Skoda are bringing out a car called the Yeti.



But ignore the name and you find another sound motor from the Czech firm that is like a rugged people carrier. On sale this summer, expect prices to start from £12,000.

Fiat are looking to maximise the boom that the 500 supermini has given to the brand with a cabriolet version just in time for summer.

It gets a sliding fabric hood and is set to be the newest fashion statement for the ladies.

The big message from Geneva was that the motor industry may be like a boxer up against the ropes taking a lot of punishment.

But it showed it is in great condition and more than capable of going the distance of the recession.