The news that the global recession has badly impacted the automotive sector is not new. Since around the last quarter, the news that recession has been gradually setting in many of the developed world’s sectors, key to the GDP growth, has got experts worrying and insiders perplexed. Then the news that even the fastest growing economies of the world such as India have been hit by an economic slag, leading to a slowdown in its automobile sector has made vast and far-reaching headlines. But none of these existential realities seem to hold much ground in front of how Hyundai fared during the recently-concluded festival of Dhanteras.
The fact certainly is that upon giving a simple gaze at how Hyundai performed during the religious festivities of Dhanteras, one could be coaxed to rethink whether there really is such a thing as a recession setting in the economy at the moment.
Because if the above weren’t true then how else would one describe Hyundai outperforming other established car brands in the market by virtue of selling around 12,500 car units across India?
Yes, you read it right. India’s second-largest car manufacturer has sold as many as 12,500 units across India on the auspicious occasion of Dhanteras and has thus rescued the automotive sector, if only for a while, from the hubris of grimness that has surrounded it ever since the economic slowdown started impacting the country’s economy.
The news indeed comes at a time where much of the automotive sector in the world’s largest democracy is engulfed amid tough times, in a situation that is seeing many an established carmaker straddling with lack of car sales.
But one of the interesting developments from the house of Hyundai is that the famous Korean carmaker recently launched the Anniversary edition of its famous Santro, with prices starting from INR 5.16 lakh.
Several automotive publications were also quick to highlight some promising developments from the standpoint of Hyundai and highlighted the following:
The new special edition model celebrates the first anniversary of the new-gen Santro’s arrival, which was also launched on October 23, last year. Offered only in the mid-spec Sportz variant, the new Hyundai Santro Anniversary Edition is available in both manual and AMT options. The Hyundai Santro Anniversary Edition gets Gun Metal Grey Wheel Cover and Sporty Black Painted Door Handles and ORVMs on the exterior, along with black interior with Aqua Teal inserts for the front AC vents, and revised fabric upholstery. In addition to that, the car also comes with a host of accessories like – glossy black roof rails, Anniversary Edition emblem, rear chrome garnish, and side body moulding.
It was recently revealed that the Union government placed initial orders with Hyundai for its first electric SUV – the Kona. The Kona was launched by the company in July this year and in just 20 days it managed to garner 152 bookings.
Particularly at a time where the contemporary automotive space is preparing for a change, slowly but surely willing to absorb electric cars into the mainstream, one wonders, whether there could be anything better than Hyundai expecting great sales for its Kona?