Hyundai Sonata Rolls Out With Rs 12 Lakh Price-Tag

Hyundai Motor India today launched its premium luxury sedan 'Sonata' with a Rs 12 lakh-Rs 13 lakh price tag.

The pricing will pose competition to the already-launched Honda Accord and the Ford Mondeo, which is scheduled for launch by the year-end.

Two variants of the Sonata -- GLS priced at Rs 11.9 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the Gold at Rs 13.1 lakh -- were unveiled today.

An option pack model with a driver's airbag as an additional feature will be priced Rs 13.3 lakh, Hyundai Motor India Ltd's executive director (marketing and sales) J H Kim said here.

The Sonata, with a 2-litre petrol engine, will be Rs 3.05 lakh cheaper than the manual transmission variant of the Honda Accord (2.3 litre engine) which costs Rs 14,95,000. A superior variant of the Accord is priced Rs 15,75,000.

 

Ford dealers say the Mondeo will cost around Rs 16 lakh. The only other car in the D-segment of the market is the Mercedes C Class, which is priced Rs 23 lakh.

Hyundai is looking at cornering a 25 per cent market-share in the D-segment, which the company expects to be of 14,000 units per annum. In the first full year, Hyundai hopes to sell around 2,000 Sonatas.

Maximum customers will be owners of C-segment cars (such as Opels, Lancer) migrating to the D-segment. Such customers have already been sent direct-mailers, said BVR Subbu, director, marketing and sales, of Hyundai Motor India, said.

The variants of the Sonata belong to the sixth generation of the car launched in 1999, said Subbu. The cars will be manufactured at the company's Tamil Nadu plant.

They will initially have a local content of 40 per cent, which will go up to a maximum 60 per cent over the next two years.

The efficiencies at the manufacturing plant -- producing 6,200 Santros and 1,200 Accents a month -- will be improved so that it is able to roll out sufficient Sonatas at the existing floorshop, working two-shifts a day.

Subbu said Hyundai has invested $30 million for the Sonata project in India. The company will be in a position to manufacture engines for the Sonata at the Sriperumbudur factory in the next eight months. However, commencement of production will depend on the volumes, he added.