Tuesday, November 15, 2011
By Pranjal Gera
Hyundai compact SUV to be unveiled at 2012 Auto Expo
In the 2012 there are many Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) lined up for launch from various Indian and foreign automobile manufacturers. But one name that went completely missing was that of Hyundai Motors, hence the Korean car maker has planned a compact SUV launch.
Although this will not be the first utility vehicle from Hyundai, previously it had launched Terracan, Tucson and Santa Fe, however it never met the kind of success that was projected, since the price tag was quite high compared to rival brand’s product in the same segment.
The upcoming vehicle by Hyundai will be a compact crossover and will be sub 4 meter in length, the best part this time will be price that will nearly INR 10 Lakhs. The designing element is done by the company and is ready to be revealed at the 2012 Auto Expo. It is expected that after its Auto Expo unveiling, the company may launch the SUV by next year end. And this effortlessly seems possible with the likes of Hyundai, as it has got the platform and engine in place.
The failure reason with some of the company’s earlier SUVs were that the vehicle was brought to India as CBU (Completely Built Unit); which automatically results in increase in the price. But the times have changed and Hyundai Motors has its own manufacturing hub for many of its models in India that are not only sold in the nation but also exported to neighboring countries.
The compact SUV will compete with then launched Renault Duster and Ford’s unnamed compressed utility vehicle; which are also expected to fall in the same price bracket.
