Hyundai Eon Outperforms Established Models

Published: Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 14:34 [IST]

The entry level small car segment had been the bastion of Maruti Suzuki almost entirely until late last year. Models such as the Maruti Suzuki Alto, Maruti 800 and Wagon R have had a firm grip on the market that India's second largest carmaker Hyundai Motors was struggling to break. The car that can be credited with breaking the status-quo is the Hyundai Eon.

The Hyundai Eon is the Korean carmaker's latest entry level small car and is aimed squarely at India's top selling car, the Maruti Suzuki Alto. The Eon offers a better exterior design based on the famous Fluidic design, smoother engines and dual fuel capability. (It is available with petrol and diesel).

The Eon is yet to get out of the shadow of Hyundai's highest selling car, the i10. The i10 garnered 10,744 sales in January while the Eon was not too far behind at 7,344 units. Hyundai is confident it is only a matter of time when the Eon overtakes the i10 in terms of sales.

Hyundai's third best selling car is the i20 which posted 6,068 sales. It is followed by the Santro which had 4,826 sales. Not surprisingly the Hyundai Verna, which is gobbling up sales thanks to its diesel engines, has managed to get 4,311 sales.

The car that did not see even a single sale was the Sonata sedan. People have preferred to wait for the recently unveiled Fluidic Sonata to hit the market rather than buy the current version. The Santa Fe SUV has registered sales of 144 units in January.

At a time when car sales were declining fast, Hyundai's sales in January have shown a good product lineup can boost sales once the buyer sentiment improves.

Article Published On: Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 14:34 [IST]

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