New Delhi, July 4, 2007: Hyundai Motor India, the second largest passenger car manufacturer in India and the largest exporter of automobiles today added to its range of Santro variants by introducing an alternative fuel variant – the CNG powered Santro.
Santro, the ‘Sunshine Car’ which has brought happiness and cheer to over a million Indian car buyers since its launch in late 1998 will now provide the potential owners a more economical and environment friendly drive. The dual fuel Santro will use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as an alternate fuel. The Santro comes with a 1.1 litre petrol engine which without any modification is compatible with CNG.
HMI has tied up with the leading CNG kit supplier Minda Auto Gas Ltd to supply the CNG kits. The advanced kit is not only safe but with an advanced Lambda control system ensures that it meets the Euro III emission norms. To ensure that there are no flaws in the fitment process, HMI has an exclusive arrangement with leading fitment specialist NGVI of Korea to retro fit the kits on the Santro model.
Initially, the CNG Santro will be initially launched in Delhi and all Hyundai dealers in Delhi in collaboration with NGVI India are equipped to sell and service the CNG Santro. The CNG Santro too enjoys the same 2 year, unlimited mileage warranty and there is an additional warranty for the same period on the CNG kit and fitment as well.
The CNG Santro would have a manual selector switch, which would enable the driver to easily switch from gasoline to CNG and vice versa. The on-board CNG cylinder has a capacity of approximately 12 kg and the running cost on CNG for the Santro is estimated to be in the region of Rs 1/km or even less depending on the driving cycle. This leads to a savings of almost 60 – 70% for the consumer. The cost of the CNG Santro (XK, non-AC) is Rs 325,361 (ex-showroom, New Delhi).
Commenting on the launch of the CNG Santro, Arvind Saxena VP – Marketing and Sales Hyundai Motor India said “CNG has established itself as an eco-friendly and economical fuel and HMI will now offer this choice of fuel to its Santro customers. We feel that this will increase the attractiveness of the Santro as it will considerably bring down the running cost. Also the fuel is eco-friendly which adds to its attractiveness”
About HMILHyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea and is the second largest and the fastest growing car manufacturer in India. HMIL presently markets 20 variants of passenger cars in six segments. The Santro in the B segment, Getz Prime in the B+ segment, the Accent and Verna in the C segment, the Elantra in the D segment, the Sonata Embera in the E segment and the Tucson in the SUV segment.
Hyundai Motor India, continuing its tradition of being the fastest growing passenger car manufacturer, registered total sales of 299,513 vehicles in calendar year (CY) 2006, an increase of 18.5 percent over CY 2005. In the domestic market it clocked a growth of 19.1 percent a compared to 2005, with 186,174 units, while overseas sales grew by 17.4 percent, with exports of 113,339 units.
HMIL’s fully integrated state-of-the-art manufacturing plant near Chennai boasts some of the most advanced production, quality and testing capabilities in the country. In continuation of its investment in providing the Indian customer global technology, HMIL is setting up its second plant, which will produce an additional 300,000 units per annum, raising HMIL’s total production capacity to 600,000 units per annum by end of 2007.
HMIL is investing to expand capacity in line with its positioning as HMC’s global export hub for compact cars. Apart from expansion of production capacity, HMIL plans to expand its dealer network, which will be increased from 183 to 250 this year. And with the company’s greater focus on the quality of its after-sales service, HMIL’s service network will be expanded to
around 1,000 in 2007.
The year 2006 has been a significant year for Hyundai Motor India. It achieved a significant milestone by rolling out the fastest 300,000th export car. Hyundai exports to over 65 countries globally; even as it plans to continue its thrust in existing export markets, it is gearing up to step up its foray into new markets. The year just ended also saw Hyundai Motor India attain other milestones such as the launch of the Verna and yet another path-breaking record in its young journey by rolling out the fastest 10,00,000th car.
The Hyundai Verna has bagged some of the most prestigious awards starting with the title of "Car of the Year 2007" by India's leading automotive publication – Overdrive, the “Best Mid-size Car of the Year” award by the NDTV Profit C&B Awards 2007, the “Best Value for Money Car” by the CNBC Autocar Auto awards and ‘Performance Car of the Year 2007’ from Business Standard Motoring.
Last Year Sonata Embera won the ‘Executive Car of The Year 2006’ award from Business Standard Motoring Magazine and NDTV Profit – Car & Bike declared the Tucson as the ‘SUV of The Year 2006’.
HMIL has also been awarded the benchmark ISO 14001 certification for its sustainable environment management practices.
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