Hyundai Motor India seems to have struck a chord with its new mid-size SUV, the Creta. It also has a problem, with over 10,000 bookings received prior to its launch on July 21 and with current total bookings of around 40,000 units.
While it’s common these days for a well-equipped, smartly designed new model to receive an overwhelming amount of buyer attention soon after its launch, also because of introductory prices, the high level of consumer interest usually starts dwindling after a couple of weeks. And, two weeks after the Creta’s launch, Maruti Suzuki introduced the S-Cross.
However, our enquiries with Hyundai dealers across major Indian cities revealed that the Creta has taken the S-Cross’ challenge in its stride. Dealers said the Creta continued to receive enquiries and consumer attention in showrooms and that a majority of Creta buyers were existing car owners looking to own a bigger vehicle.
Although it’s up against established competitors like the Renault Duster and Mahindra’s recently updated XUV500, the Creta is luring prospective buyers into showrooms with its SUV-like design and long list of features. Dealers also said that buyers were appreciating the refined petrol and diesel engines, upmarket cabin design along with the overall fit and finish.
In most cities, the petrol trims were selling in majority while across the petrol and diesel variants, the
top trims saw maximum demand. However, the long waiting period of three to four months for the petrol and diesel manual and six to eight months for the diesel automatic can become a bugbear. While Hyundai dealers stated the Creta’s waiting period hasn’t put off buyers yet, they are concerned that eventually it will make prospective buyers consider other readily available options.
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
Lenny D'sa
Saptarshi Mondal
