Hyundai has no plans of launching an MPV in India anytime soon. There were rumours about Hyundai launching an MPV in 2016 to compete with the Toyota Innova.
Hyundai has made its presence felt in most of the segments right from the entry-level segment (Eon) to the premium SUV segment (Santa Fe). It has tasted success in most of the segments out of these. Where Hyundai doesn’t have presence is the compact SUV and MPV segments. The compact SUV ix25 would be launched by Hyundai this year. But, Hyundai has no plans to launch an MPV in India to compete with the highly popular Toyota Innova. Earlier, there were rumors about Hyundai launching a vehicle based on the Hexa Space concept, using the platform of the Grand i10.
The Hyundai Hexa Space concept looked stunning when it was revealed in 2012. It was based on the company’s fluidic design philosophy. It had sliding doors and futuristic looking interiors. The concept had a 1.2-litre turbocharged Kappa GDI engine mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The car would have given the Toyota Innova tough competition considering the Innova is overpriced by a fair margin due to lack of direct competitors. Considering how well loaded Hyundai cars are, the MPV could have got decent equipment levels which would have helped it sell well in India. Also the fact that there was an automatic variant possible, it would have given it an edge above the competitors since none of them come with an automatic gearbox yet.
Hyundai wants to focus on the current line-up and the upcoming facelifts and new models. It doesn’t mean that an MPV won’t come, they will certainly get it but right not they haven’t started work on it, neither is a tentative timeline for launch finalised yet. The Verna facelift is being launched this month and it comes with some visual changes to make the car look a bit fresher. The Elantra too would receive a facelift in March. The i20 Cross will be launched in the next couple of months to take on the likes of the Volkswagen Cross Polo, Toyota Etios Cross and Fiat Avventura.
Hyundai would also be launching the ix25 in August this year to tap the rapidly growing compact SUV segment. The company is having high hopes from the ix25 which is likely to be an even bigger success than the Elite i20. All these models should increase the company’s sales figures and help it move closer towards a 20% market share in the country.
