Hyundai Motor India Limited has been present in the Indian car market for over 20 years and currently enjoys a market share of over 15%. The company is known for its feature-loaded cars that also offer a premium experience to the end user. 2020 started off with fireworks like the all-new Creta and the updated Verna but Corona Pandemic came in the way of a full-throttle onslaught. We decided to get in touch virtually with Mr S.S Kim, Managing Director at HMIL for a quick interview on the company's current and future plans keeping in mind how the world has changed in the past couple of months.
91Wheels: How has Covid-19 changed plans for upcoming Hyundai launches in India?
Mr. S.S Kim: The Indian car market has undergone many upheavals since 2019 and has come to a standstill due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Hyundai proactively responded to the Pandemic by suspending our production operations in Chennai to ensure all around safety. In compliance with the governments guidelines, we have re-commenced the operations from May 08, 2020.
Currently, we are monitoring the market conditions very closely and are confident that we will meet the targets of our 2020 Business Plan from Production, New Launches, Sales and Service perspective.
91W: What are the new timelines for the launch of all-new i20 and Tucson BS6?
Mr. Kim: Hyundai has a robust lineup of cars and strong plans for future products. We will continue maintaining timelines as per schedule. The New TUCSON BS6 has been showcased in Auto Expo 2020, we will shortly announce the formal launch and dispatches to our showrooms.
91W: Click to Buy was launched earlier this year. How has the response been?
Mr. Kim: Hyundai introduced Indias first online automobile sales platform- Click to Buy earlier in January for a seamless, convenient and safe end to end car purchase journey. During this period of national emergency as well, Hyundai is fully geared up to cater the needs of its new-age digital customers for purchase of new Hyundai cars. All Hyundai models and the recently launched- All New CRETA and the Spirited New VERNA are available on Click to Buy website and this would act as an additional sales channel for over 500 Hyundai Dealerships. The platform is connected in real time across India to fulfil the needs of the millennial generation.
91W: How do you see the physical purchase process getting changed once the lockdown lifts?
Mr. Kim: Car purchase is always an emotional and enthusiast buying. Physical Purchase of a commodity like a vehicle will always continue to play an important role in the entire ecosystem. As the situation unfolds, precautionary guidelines and measures for sanitization and hygiene will play a crucial role in building customer confidence.
91W: What is Hyundai doing to support dealers who are going through a booking crunch in this lockdown period?
Mr. Kim: Hyundai has always been a trusted partner for its dealers and vendors. In this situation, we have taken many financial measures for business sustenance to infuse confidence and trust in Hyundai. During this difficult period, we have empowered our dealerships with Click to Buy Service to take the bookings from customers. We have ensured the dealer staff utilizes this time to enrich their knowledge about new technologies and Hyundai products with many online training sessions and modules.
We have dispatched over 5 lakh 3 ply masks & N95 Masks and half litre sanitizer cases (20,000 numbers) to our Dealerships for sales, service and backend staff
91W: What about exports - how have they been affected due to Covid-19?
Mr. Kim: Hyundai Motor India is the countrys largest exporter since inception and we will continue to maintain focus on this area of business as well. In April 2020, we have exported 1341 units by adhering to all government guidelines during the lockdown period.
At present, it is too early to ascertain the outlook for this fiscal year that is highly situation-dependent.
91W: Will the 2 months extension on free services and warranty be extended further?
Mr. Kim: Hyundai is a Caring and Customer-centric brand. At present, the previous warranty extension that was offered by HMI covers the current lockdown extension period as well.
91W: Has the decision to bring in BS6 diesels for NIOS and Aura worked well?
Mr. Kim: Hyundai is a Customer-centric brand and is very well aware of Customer preferences. To cater the customer demand, our flexible engine plant in Chennai produces all the engine options with BS 6 technology. Our decision on continuing with green diesel technology has resulted positively and created a substantial demand for diesel across our product line-ups.
We believe diesel powered models will continue to be important for the Indian market. Our proven and advanced BS6 technology offers customers robust performance, reliability and efficiency, making it the preferred choice for consumers.
91W: What is the current backlog for Creta deliveries and the total number of confirmed bookings till date
Mr. Kim: The All New CRETA become the talk of the town since its launch on March 16, 2020 . At present we have received over 20,000 Bookings for the All New CRETA.
At present, 338 showrooms and 452 workshops have been opened as per local and state Government dictates in different regions. Further, we have received over 12,000 enquiries, 1,500 bookings and have retailed 900 cars.
91W: What are your plans for the Rs 3-4 lac rupee segment? Can we expect a product to replace the Eon and take on the Maruti Alto and the Renault Kwid?
Mr. Kim: In the compact segment, we have strong products starting with SANTRO, GRAND i10, GRAND i10 NIOS and ELITE i20. All the products caters to a range of price band which customers aspire in urban and regional markets. With the update of BS 6 technology across all Hyundai models, all our products are up to date.
