Hyundai Getz to Bid Us Farewell

It's time now to say good bye to the old pal Hyundai Getz. The stylish hatchback from Hyundai Motors that once rocked the Indian car market with highest sales record in 2004, with more than 3000 cars being sold in one month, is now going to take a backseat. India's second largest car maker has decided to phase out this car model, as it is losing it to the company's other hit brands Hyundai i10 and Hyundai i20.

Getz - going...

Hyundai Getz, launched in 2004, was targeted to lure those who wanted to upgrade their small cars Maruti Alto, Santro, Wagon R to a more powerful hatch; and Getz was the best option at that point of time. But then with the launch and powerful brand promotioning of its siblings i10 and i20, the focus started getting shifted. Potential buyers started finding in i10 and i20 more premium hatchback qualities than those they found earlier in Getz. This eventually got reflected in the sales figure, which thereby led the car manufacturer to take the ultimate decision.

i20 - having a gala time!

Now, Hyundai will utilize the spare production capacity to produce more i20s and i10s that would help in reducing the irksome waiting period of two moths for their buyers. Isn't that great! And yes, the Korean car maker is also planning to pitch new variants of Hyundai i20, its premium hatchback – soon. So, rejoice!

Hyundai on The Move!

Hyundai Motors is in no mood to slowdown as of now. First it launched the new Verna Transform with a bang, and now, it is back in the news with the twin announcements of the Santa Fe launch and the 800cc mini car launch in 2010 end and 2011 consecutively.

The automaker announced that though it operates only two manufacturing plants in India with a total production of 600.000 vehicles per year, it will import all Santa Fe SUVs from South Korea to make them available for Indian customers. Commenting on the new SUV, a top Hyundai official said that the new Santa Fe SUV will be a completely built unit, and after two-three years it will be manufactured completely as a knocked down unit.

Till date all the SUVs made by Tata Motors have been immensely popular in Indian market, so have been the sporty Mahindra cars, but when Hyundai tried to surprise Indian mass with its Tucson SUV, it received a lukewarm response. Now, the carmaker hopes to do a better job with the new Santa Fe SUV, and has accordingly adorned it with a plethora of styling tweaks and powertrain updates, including new front fascia, front and rear bumpers and slightly updated tail-lights.

Coming to the all new mini-car, Hyundai Motors India limited has scheduled its launch in the first half of the next year. The 800 ccm or 0.8L Hyundai car will be slotted below Hyundai Santro, the predecessor of popular Hyundai i10, and is now in the final phase of development.

Indian Auto Industry Sales Report for April 2010

After a stunning year-end performance in March 2010, Indian auto industry once again recorded an impressive growth in April 2010. Despite the recent price hikes and discontinuation of some car models in 13 big cities across the country due to BS 4 implications, all major car makers managed to increase their sales during this period. Almost all of them posted double digit growth figures that took the total sales of the domestic car market to a new height altogether.

Maruti Suzuki India reported a significant growth of 29.70% in total sales at 93,058 units as compared to 71,748 units sold during the corresponding period last year.

Tata Motors registered a 52.47% increase in total vehicles sales at 57,202 units, as compared to 37,518 units in the same month last year.

April 2010 total sales for Ford India witnessed a three-fold jump at 7,509 units. The company cited the good response to its small car recent launch Figo for this growth performance. It sold 2,034 vehicles during the corresponding period last year.

Hyundai Motor took its total sales figure for April 2010 to 52,020 units from 44,370 units in the same period previous year, which is a growth by 17.24%.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor, the Indian subsidy of Toyota registered a growth of 77.23% at 6,001 units against 3,386 units in the corresponding period previous year.

In the two wheeler segment, market leader Hero Honda put up a plateau performance. It managed to sell only 3,71,652 units as compared to 3,70,575 units in April 2009.

Suzuki Motorcycle India reported a growth of 53.22% in sales in April 2010. It sold 20,771 units compared to 13,556 units in the same period last year.

TVS Motor Company posted a 27.91% rise in sales at 1,44,689 units compared to 1,13,119 units in April last year.

Finally, India Yamaha Motor, regardless of premium pricing of its motorbikes, registered a growth of 42.01% in sales. It sold 24,960 units as compared to 17,576 units in the same month last year.

47300 Hyundai Sonata Sedans Recalled

It seems the trend of recalling of vehicles by their respective automakers has not come to an end. This time it is Hyundai that has recalled its vehicles. The automaker on Wednesday recalled approximately 47,300 Sonata Sedans in U.S and South Korean markets because of faulty door locks.

The recalling of the cars is expected to begin from March. Recently, various consumers had complained of problems with door locks in Sonata sedans. Following which, various car dealers in US were ordered to stop selling Sonata models.

What is the problem with Hyundai Sonata Sedans?

Sonata Sedan has reported to have problem in the door lock. At times, the front doors of the car cannot be locked properly when someone simultaneously pulls the door latch and holds down the lock from inside.

Shouts of Eco Echo Through Auto Expo

It's the age of eco-friendly vehicles. The impact of the global warming has also appeared in Auto Expo, pushing the automobile companies to produce the cars which are environmentally friendly.

Bollywood Megastar Shah Rukh Khan got down to ongoing Auto Expo to kick off the new electric version of Hyundai's i10, presented by the Korean auto giant. The Hyundai i10 Electric is an emission free car that will go on sale on the company's home market in the second half of 2010.



The i10 Electric will be powered by a 49kW (66.6 PS) electric motor under the hood and driving its front wheels. The exhibition of the i10 Electric reasserts Hyundai's commitment to develop environment friendly cars in the global market.



Another Giant of automobile- Maruti Suzuki displayed a small multi-purpose concept vehicle 'rIII' at the Auto Expo, claiming it will fulfill the need of Indian consumers. On the other hand Honda unveiled small car concept, for now known simply as the Honda 'New Small'. The car is slated for a 2011 release in India and Thailand.The design of the car looks utterly new, with extensive use of LED lights an the overall shape of the car is from a new school of design altogether.

Hyundai at the Auto Expo 2010

Here are some pictures of opening ceremony of Hyundai Motors at this Auto Expo at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.