Creta, Venue & More Help Hyundai India Register 14.91℅ Domestic Sales Growth in May

Hyundai Motor India has registered a jump of 14.91 per cent in domestic sales during the month of May, the company announced in an official statement. The carmaker sold 48,601 units in May 2023, as opposed to 42,293 units during the same time last year. The company attributed its sales growth primarily to two of its popular SUVs - the Creta and the Venue. Add to that, the newly launched Hyundai Verna received an overwhelming response from its customers and clocked 'strong numbers', as claimed by the company. Meanwhile, the company is also expecting a sales boost as its upcoming Hyundai Exter SUV continues to garner attention in the market.  

If we consider the company's total sales for the month of May 2023, Hyundai reported a 16.26 per cent increase and managed to sell 59,601 vehicles, as against 51,263 units in May last year. The exports figure for May 2023 grew by 22.63 per cent as the company sold 11,000 units when compared to 8,970 units sold in May 2022.  

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Hyundai Verna: Features, Engine & More

The improved Verna from the house of Hyundai Motor is more powerful than its predecessor. Plus, it is the second car in its class to offer ADAS technology, following the facelifted version of the Honda City. However, the ADAS is available across some of its variants. The Verna's Level 2 ADAS capabilities include rear cross-traffic alert, high beam assistance, lane keep assistance, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, blind spot monitoring, and driver attentiveness warning. 

Other notable features of the Hyundai Verna include electronic parking brakes, a tyre pressure monitoring system, electronic stability control, vehicle stability management, and hill-start assist control. 

In terms of powertrain, the Verna gets two engine options: a 1.5-litre NA engine and a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol unit. The NA engine pumps out 113 bhp of maximum power and 144Nm of peak torque, whereas the turbocharged engine is more powerful with an output of 158bhp and 253Nm. For transmission, a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed DCT are offered as options.

In the Indian market, the 2023 Verna is priced between Rs 10.90 lakh and Rs 17.38 lakh (ex-showroom) and goes against the Honda City, the Volkswagen Virtus, the Skoda Slavia, and the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz.

Hyundai Exter: Powertrain, Variants, Rivals

As for its upcoming Exter, Hyundai recently revealed the car's rear design. The rear features an H-shaped LED taillight that looks identical to the front DRLs. The Exter prioritises safety with 6 airbags, as claimed by the company. When launched, it will also get several segment-first technologies, such as a smart electric sunroof and a dash cam with a dual camera. 

Mechanically, the Exter will be equipped with a 1.2-litre inline four-cylinder NA petrol engine and a CNG fuel option. For handling transmission duties, the Exter CNG variant will come mated to a manual gearbox, while the petrol models will use either a five-speed manual or an AMT automatic gearbox. 

Bookings for the upcoming Exter are already underway at Rs 11,000. The Exter will be available in five trim levels: basic EX, mid-range S, high-end SX, and optional SX(O) Connect. It will rival the Tata Punch and the Citroen C3.

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Hyundai Sales Performance for May 2023: What The Company Said

"We are glad to announce a healthy double-digit sales growth for the month of May 2023, fuelled by our blockbuster SUVs, Hyundai Creta and Hyundai Venue. The recently launched all-new Hyundai VERNA again clocked strong numbers, while Hyundai EXTER, our soon-to-be-launched SUV, continues to ramp up excitement amongst customers in the SUV space", commented Mr Tarun Garg, COO, Hyundai Motor India Ltd.