New Delhi: Aiming for a dominant position in the mass-market sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment in India, Korean auto major Hyundai on Tuesday launched Creta with price starting at Rs 8.59 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi).
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Creta is being launched globally for the first time in India. The roll-out of the five-seater SUV in the country would be followed by launches in other international markets.
"We are confident that Creta will strengthen Hyundai's position in India. It will define SUV segment in the country," Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) Managing Director and CEO, B S Seo told reporters here.
The 1.6 litre petrol variants of the SUV are priced between Rs 8.59 lakh and Rs 11.19 lakh, while the diesel versions will come in the range Rs 9.46 lakh to Rs 13.6 lakh.
The vehicle would be offered with two diesel engine options – 1.4 litre trim costing between Rs 9.46 lakh and Rs 11.45 lakh, while the 1.6 litre diesel engine variants priced between Rs 11.59 lakh and Rs 13.6 lakh.
The 1.6 litre diesel automatic trim is priced at Rs 13.57 lakh (all prices ex-showroom Delhi).
The SUV comes with various features including navigation system, smart key with push button start and leather seats.
HMIL has received over 15,000 pre-bookings in the last 20 days for the SUV, Seo said.
The company has invested Rs 1,000 crore on the development of Creta, which has been designed and developed in Korea.
The company's engineers in Hyderabad and Chennai helped to customise it for the Indian conditions.
In the domestic market, Hyundai Creta will compete with Ford Ecosport, Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano and Mahindra Scorpio, Mahindra XUV500 and Tata Safari Storme, which are in the price range of Rs 6.75 lakh to Rs 15.99 lakh.
With Creta, Hyundai is entering the full-fledged volume segment of SUVs. As of now, Hyundai is present in the SUV segment in the premium category with Santa Fe and with sports-styled i20 Active.
The SUV segment has been growing in India since 2013 at an annual rate of 25 per cent but it declined in the January-May period by about 6 per cent.
The brand Creta would be used for all the global markets.
(With inputs from agencies)