Hyundai Motor India Ltd, the largest exporter and the second largest car manufacturer, crossed another significant milestone as it rolled out over 25 lakh cars from its state-of-the-art production facility located at Sriperumbedur, approximately 35 km outside Chennai.
HMIL started production at Sriperumbedur in 1998 and the first car Santro was launched in September, 1998. The Santro went off to become one of the most popular cars in the Indian automobile market as well as in the overseas market with total cumulative sales of around 15 lakh units till date.
Along with the Santro, HMIL also rolled out the Accent in 1999 which too has many firsts to its credit and was the only car at that time in its segment which came with a common rail direct injection (CRDi). Currently, HMIL manufacturers around seven models from its manufacturing plant with the i10 and the i20 being the latest. The i10 has taken over the mantle from the Santro as the largest selling compact with cumulative sales reaching almost 5 lakh units in just about two years since its launch in October, 2007. HMIL has been designated as the small car hub and all its compact cars like the Santro, i10 and the i20 is only manufactured in India and currently exported to over 100 countries.
Out of the total 25 lakh units that were produced approximately 16 lakh units were sold in the country while as the remaining 9 lakh units were exported. The exported models include Santro, i10, i20, Accent and the Getz.
This record car production is an add-on to HMIL?s short but successful journey in the country, a path marked by several commendable milestones. A trendsetter right from the initial days of its operations, HMIL?s other achievements include setting up the Chennai plant in record time of just 17 months, becoming the second largest carmaker in India in just 6 months and rolling out 150,000 cars in record 25 months. The company also set up a second plant which was commissioned in February, 2008 with an annual production capacity of 300,000 units taking the total capacity up to 600,000 units per annum.
While commenting on this significant milestone Arvind Saxena, Sr VP, Marketing and Sales, HMIL said: ?It is a proud moment for Hyundai as it is not only the second manufacturer to have achieved this but also the fastest. Our achievements have to be seen in the context of what we have also achieved in the overseas market. Before HMIL started exporting ?Made-in-India? cars hardly had any presence in the international market but today they are present in over 100 countries and Indian made cars are acceptable in terms of quality and performance and this is a very significant achievement for not only HMIL but also the Indian automotive industry. Reaching the 25 lakh landmark is a reflection of the trust of our customers and also testimony to the reliability of our products.?
HMIL currently enjoys a 20.5% market share in the Indian market with a dealership network spanning 202 cities and 275 outlets. In November this year, Hyundai recorded the highest ever sales in HMIL?s history with sales touching a cumulative 55,265 units. Apart from this, Hyundai is also looking at expanding its export base to 125 countries in order to expand its overseas market.