Hyundai has decided to put its plan to introduce an MPV for India in the freezer for now. The carmaker is now preparing to launch a sub 4-metre compact SUV instead.
The Indian automotive market is going through a spectacular phase with quality products being launched at every price point at a rapid pace. One of those new concepts is the advent of the sub 4-metre compact SUV segment, which successfully combines the butch look of an SUV with the price point of a premium hatchback. This has led to cannibalisation of sales of other cars, mainly the MPV segment which has seen a steady decline. Thus it is no wonder that Hyundai has decided to put its MPV plans for India in the back-burner for now and focus on launching a compact SUV.
Sources have confirmed that the work on the new MPV has been stopped for now and the company is focusing on introducing a compact SUV based on the Carlino Concept. In July 2015, Hyundai confirmed that a new MPV was under development to compete with other UVs like the Honda Mobilio and the popular Maruti Ertiga. However, at the 2016 Auto Expo, instead of an MPV, Hyundai brought in the Carlino small SUV concept.
Automobile manufacturers are tumbling over each other to launch an SUV-ish vehicle in every segment, whose recent examples include the Renault Kwid, Mahindra KUV100, Maruti Vitara Brezza and Hyundai Creta. This has impacted sales of other traditional vehicle forms such as the compact sedans and MPVs, as the above mentioned SUVs provide the road presence of an SUV, driving mannerisms of a car as well as the space and comfort of an MPV.
The Hyundai Carlino Concept shown at the 2016 Auto Expo is an interesting and a very important product. The concept featured a chunky design with a large glasshouse and many non-typical Hyundai styling cues which may point at a future design language from the carmaker. The car, being less than 4-metres in length, will be slotted below the Creta and will compete in the most hotly contested segment of the market against the Mahindra TUV300, Ford EcoSport and Maruti Vitara Brezza.
Hyundai MPV Plans
– Hyundai has put on hold its plans to launch an MPV in India for now
– The carmaker has instead decided to focus on the Carlino compact SUV
– The MUV segment has been declining steadily due to the recent launch of new SUVs of the same price
– The Carlino Concept shown at the 2016 Auto Expo also points at a new design language from Hyundai
Source – AutocarIndia.com
