Hyundai is a famous automobile company having presence at various countries across the world. They are engaged in the making and selling of excellent cars at various global markets. One of the most important markets for Hyundai is India. Hyundai operates in India through its wholly owned subsidiary, Hyundai Motor India Limited. This company was formed in the year 1996. At that time, there were very few companies offering passenger cars to the Indians. Barring Maruti, Hindustan Motors and Padmini, there were no real players in the Indian car market. The likes of Tata and Mahindra were present, but they were engaged in the making of commercial vehicles at that time.
Therefore, Hyundai entered Indian automobile space when the conditions were great for a new company. Although there was the risk of being tagged as a foreign company, the huge market potential offered by India was too big to ignore. It also had a great opportunity to grow. Hyundai grabbed it with both hands and in less than two decades, it became the second largest automaker in India. It is also the largest exporter of cars in India.
Hyundai introduced its first car in India in the year 1998 in the form of Santro. It was a refreshing change in design and appearance from the Marutis, Ambassadors and the Premier Padminis. Although it took a while for the Santro to get going initially, it took off like a champion soon. People loved the car immensely and soon the car became a favourite of the masses. Santro almost matched Maruti 800 in its popularity. Hyundai kept revamping the model to keep in pace with the constant changes in the tastes and preferences of the buyers. Perhaps that is why even after a decade and a half, this car is going strong in its new avatar.
After Santro, Hyundai introduced many more cars like the Accent series, Sonata series, Terracan, Getz, Verna, Getz Prime, Hyundai i10, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Tucson, Santa Fe and the Hyundai i20. Most of these cars are now withdrawn from the market as they have been replaced by new and better models. Accordingly, the ten Hyundai cars available in the Indian market at present include the likes of Hyundai Eon, Santro Xing, i10, Grand i10, Xcent, Elite i20, Verna, Elantra, Sonata and Santa Fe.
All these cars are known for their reliability and performance. They all come with the trademark Hyundai trustworthiness as well as up market features. Very often, it was the Hyundai cars, which offered many first in class features in their segments. With unmatched quality of sales and services, Hyundai has now placed itself as the second largest carmaker in India – a position that it will look to improve.
