Hyundai has confirmed the launch of the new 2013 Elantra in India. The Korean automaker is bullish on the luxury car segment and is betting big on the new Elantra and Sonata to bring it sales in a segment which it hasn’t been able to crack till date. The company will announce the prices of the Hyundai Sonata by the end of this month and will start deliveries early next month. This will be followed by the introduction of the Hyundai i20 Facelift in April, after which the new Elantra will be launched by September 2012. The Sonata is available with a 2.4-litre petrol engine but the Elantra will be offered with both petrol and diesel engines.
“We would fill the vacuum in the premium car space with two new cars lined up this year. We are targeting much larger volumes with the new cars. Both these are global models developed on the same aggressive ‘fluidic design concept’ that has been accepted well by Indian customer in the new Verna making it the segment leader in mid-size cars” Arvind Saxena, Director (Marketing and Sales), Hyundai India, said.
The Hyundai Elantra will be offered with a 1.8-litre petrol and 1.8-litre diesel engine. These engines will be mated to a 6-speed manual and automatic gearbox. The new Elantra will be priced right above the Fluidic Verna, filling the void between the Verna and Sonata. Expect a starting price of Rs. 11 lakhs for the base petrol, going all the way upto Rs. 14 lakhs for the top end diesel auatomatic. The Hyundai Elantra will fight the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Cruze and Skoda Laura for market share. Both the Elantra and Sonata will be assembled at Hyundai’s Chennai facility, helping the company in pricing these vehicles aggressively.
