``We have 70 service centres across the country now. We propose to double it, starting June, though it will take us some time to catch up with Maruti which had a 15-year head-start,'' Hyundai Motor India president AP Gandhi told PTI here on Monday.

The company was drawing up an aggressive customer care strategy in order to counter Maruti, which boasts of service stations even in far-off Ladakh, he said.

As per the plans, Hyundai would offer its existing dealers the option of setting up new service stations in other localities before considering new applicants for this business, Gandhi said.

However, the company had no plans to increase the present strength of 70 dealers across the country for the time being, he said.

Sales of the compact car `Santro,' launched in September lastyear, have shown a marked improvement in the post-budget period after a sluggish start notwithstanding competition from Daewoo's `Matiz' and Tatas' `Indica.'

The company had sold over 17,000 cars in the first six months of its India operations, short of its projected sales of 20,000 cars between September and March of 1998-99.

However, he reiterated that Hyundai would achieve its sales target of 50,000 cars set for the current fiscal year and ruled out any competition from Korean arch-rivals Daewoo, which recently launched substantially cheaper versions of its small car `Matiz.'

``We do not think the price cuts on Matiz would make any difference to our sales. Hyundai has established the Santro and we are going ahead with our mid-size car project and this car would defintely be launched this year-end,'' Gandhi said.

The company had zeroed in on a prototype for the project codenamed `LC' and trials are on at its facilities in Irungattukottai, about 40 kms from here.

When asked whether the companywould bring in any vehicle from the stables of its latest acquisition of debt-ridden Kia Motors of Korea, Gandhi said Hyundai was considering a multi-utility vehicle for the Indian markets.

This could be Hyundai's third vehicle in India after the Santro and `Project LC,' though things are only at a formative stage and nothing concrete has been finalised.

The company recently began exporting auto-parts made at its Chennai facility to its parent company in Korea, besides introducing the Santro as `Visto' in Korean markets through Kia Motors.