The number of orders placed for the SUV at the Lada Granta price has already exceeded 75 thousand. Autocar writes about this in India, where the tiny model debuted in July this year. Current production rates are not enough to cover the rush, so Hyundai is increasing Exter production volumes from six to nine thousand units per month – that is, by a third.
Waiting times for newly arrived clients have already stretched to nine months. The main demand is not for the basic Hyunai Exter, but for more expensive versions with richer equipment.
In addition to increasing production rates at the plant in Chennai, India, Hyundai will redirect some of its export crossovers to the domestic market. If demand does not subside, the Koreans will have to further increase assembly volumes, insiders predict.
Despite the concerns, the Exter hype hasn’t derailed sales of the Venue, Hyundai’s other budget crossover. It still sells more than 10 thousand pieces a month. However, another model suffered: part of the Grand i10 Nios audience switched to Exter, and demand for the hatchback fell by 1-1.5 thousand units.
Exter joined the Hyundai lineup last summer. The brand’s most affordable crossover with a starting price of 600 thousand rupees (672 thousand rubles) has already become the second most popular in India after the Tata Punch. The 3.8-meter Exter is built on the platform of the aforementioned Grand i10 Nios, has six airbags, a digital instrument panel and ABS. It is powered by a 1.2-liter turbo engine with 69 or 83 horsepower.
Budget cars that won’t be seen in Russia
