With the runaway success of i10, both in the domestic as well as international markets and expecting a similar response from the soon to be launched i20, Hyundai Motor India (HMIL) will stop exporting Getz to European markets.
The vehicle will be replaced by the i20 that will be a five-door sub-compact car with a longer wheel base than its predecessor model Getz.
?The i20, which is the next product in i-series and would be manufactured at our
Chennai plant, will replace Getz in European markets towards the end of 2008,? says HS Lheem, MD & CEO, (HMIL) while speaking at the 10 th anniversary celebration of Hyundai in India.
Lheem, however, made it clear that in the domestic market the two vehicles will co-exist. ?While Getz will be placed at the lower-end of the B segment, i20 will be the high-end car in the same segment,? he says.
Though Hyundai witnessed a growth of 88.5% in exports in August at 23,100 units as against 12,256 units in August last year, analysts feel that with the perception of i20 replacing Getz, there has been a dip in demand for Getz and this has forced to finally put brakes on the export of the vehicle.
The company is mulling to come up with a diesel variant of i10 that could be a part of the two new models that it plans to launch in India next year. Hyundai is also doing a feasibility study on exporting i10 to the US.
