Hyundai completes 25 years in India

Carmaker laid down the foundation stone for its Irungattukkottai facility in Tamil Nadu in 1996.

Published On Feb 17, 2021 07:18:00 PM

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Hyundai Motor India is celebrating its silver jubilee in India, with 2021 marking the 25th anniversary of its operations in India. The company – which is India’s second largest passenger vehicle player in terms of market share, 17.4 percent as of CY2020 – has sold more than 90 lakh units since its inception.

Hyundai India laid down foundation stone of its first manufacturing facility on May 6, 1996
Vehicle Manufacturing operations began in September 1998
Exports cars to 88 countries from India

Hyundai India: Manufacturing facilities

Hyundai India officials laid down the foundation stone for the carmaker’s first manufacturing facility in India on May 6, 1996. Located Irungattukottai in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, the facility began manufacturing operations in September 1998, becoming Hyundai’s first integrated car manufacturing plant outside of the company’s home market of South Korea. The first model to roll out was the Santro hatchback that hit the Indian market in 1998, followed by the Accent sedan in 1999.

Almost a decade later, the carmaker expanded its manufacturing operation in India with the inauguration of its second plant in Chennai in February 2008.

Speaking on the occasion S S Kim, MD and CEO, Hyundai Motor India, said, “Envisioning India at the heart of global manufacturing and commerce, Hyundai began its journey with the country 25 years ago towards a mutual progress. Today, it gives us immense pride to have come this far together, developing a sustainable and thriving ecosystem, leading to collective evolution of the Indian Automotive Industry."

Today, Hyundai India has a combined manufacturing capacity of around 7,50,000 units per annum. The Sriperumbudur plant has, till now, produced over 90 lakh cars. The carmaker also exports its cars to 88 countries across Africa, Middle East, Latin America, Australia, and Asia Pacific.

Hyundai India: exports to other markets

Hyundai is the leading passenger vehicle exporter in India, having overtaken Ford India in FY2020. In FY2019, the Korean carmaker had missed being India's top PV exporter by just 696 units.

Now, after nine months of FY2021, Hyundai is firmly in the export leader’s seater, with 74,021 units (-49 percent), considerably ahead of Maruti Suzuki India which shipped a total of 59,821 units (-21 percent) and Ford India’s 39,775 units (-62 percent).

In early 2020, Hyundai Motor India surpassed the 30 lakh passenger vehicle export milestone having crossed the 10 lakh unit and 20 lakh unit milestones in 2010 and 2014, respectively.

Hyundai India: current and future car and SUV line-up in India

In recent years, Hyundai has updated and also introduced a number of new models to its India line-up, which currently houses 11 models across multiple segments, including a model aimed squarely at the taxi market in the form of the Xcent Prime. The line-up currently consists of the Santro, Grand i10 Nios, Aura compact sedan, new i20, Venue compact SUV, Verna midsize sedan, the second-gen Creta, the Elantra, the all-electric Kona Electric and its current flagship, the Tucson.

The carmaker is also looking at a number of new models for India, including an all-new electric vehicle to sit below the Kona, more performance oriented models from its N-Line portfolio, and its large three-row Palisade SUV. Also in the works is small SUV to sit below the Venue.

Also see:

Hyundai Venue long term review, final report

Hyundai Tiger four-legged autonomous off-roader unveiled

Buying Used: (2017-2020) Hyundai Verna