Hyundai to ramp up Creta production as bookings reach 30,000 units - Report

12/08/2015 - 13:55 Hyundai Creta, Hyundai Shrawan Raja

Creta output to go up from 5,000 to 6,500 units.

Hyundai Creta was launched on July 21 and since then has witnessed strong demand. The SUV has been in short supply leading to long waiting periods, in some cases up to 10 months.

Hyundai Creta Diesel AT front three quarter Review — The Creta has a waiting period of up to 8 months for some variants.

Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice president, sales and marketing, HMIL, in an interview with Livemint said that the company is ramping up production of the Creta from 5,000 to 6,500 units a month. This will help in bringing down the waiting time by nearly two months. Hyundai would also have to account for the demand from Africa and Middle East as it has confirmed Creta exports.

The Creta before the launch had gathered 10,000 bookings and 28,500 enquiries, which has now swelled to 30,000 bookings. Hyundai’s mini SUV has a 4-6 months waiting period for the manual gearbox equipped petrol and diesel variants and a huge 6-10 months for the diesel automatic version.

Hyundai Creta Diesel rear quarters Review — Hyundai has also confirmed Creta exports, and the the Middle East, Africa and South America are likely the first recipients.

Srivastava also mentioned that 80 per cent of the bookings were for the diesel model, a reduction from the 90 per cent it used to be a couple of years back for vehicles in this segment. He attributed this trend to the reduction in fuel price gap, refined petrol engine and the shift of sedan buyers to SUVs.

The Creta is available in 10 trims and is powered by a choice of 1.4- and 1.6-liter diesel as well as a 1.6-liter petrol engine. The 1.6-liter petrol produces 123 PS and 151 Nm of torque while the 1.6-liter diesel churns out 128 PS and 259 Nm of torque. The 1.4-liter U2 oil burner is good for 90 PS and 220 Nm.