We had a candid talk with Mr. Tarun Garg, Director (Sales, Marketing & Service), Hyundai Motor India Ltd., at the Hyundai N Line Creators Arena, where he shared Hyundai’s perception of the customer and future plans of the company.
Read the interview below:
GearFliQ: It has been 25 years for Hyundai in India. What do you think is the major shift in buyer behaviour in these years
Tarun Garg: The most important thing to note is that the customer is becoming more and more global. He knows the global trends and is well-informed. He is looking for technologies which are relevant to him, designs which he likes. For example , about six years back, SUVs contributed to around 13 per cent of the body types in passenger vehicles sold. Today, they are more than 35 per cent. Then there has been a shift in powertrains, emission norms, however, most importantly, the customer has shifted from price to value.
Today he looks at features and connected cars. We started with Venue and now seven of our cars have connected features, which account to 30 per cent of our car sales. Similarly our customers are preferring sunroof in their cars. So, high trims are selling more, hence we are encouraged to launch products like the i20 N Line, which are niche but at the same time takes care of the millennials, who are looking at Hyundai with a lot of hope, to fulfil their aspirations.
GearFliQ: How has the response for the N Line been?
Tarun Garg: The response has been fabulous. We had sent the cars to the showrooms during the launch itself, to fulfil deliveries. We have a back order of about four weeks and we are trying to increase the production.
The N Line has so many features that offers a lot at a nominal price increase of roughly Rs. 50,000. In fact, the Turbo DCT powertrain is liked by many customers. The N Line customer does not want to compromise and wants to be different from the crowd. The demand for the thirty exclusive accessories that we have launched is also very good.
GearFliQ: Can you elaborate on the Creators Arena concept?
Tarun Garg: The customer today is looking for experiences beyond just owning a car. He is living an active lifestyle, he wants different things, hence the tag line Its time to play. So we are trying to give him a complete lifestyle experience. So, I believe that this Creators Arena concept, involving music, art, the merchandise would create content which would be engaging for the customer, with the brand. We believe, this is very unique experience we are providing to our customer.
GearFliQ: You are the leader in the SUV segment today. What new concepts can we expect in SUVs from Hyundai?
Tarun Garg: As I mentioned, SUVs contribute to about 35 per cent and due to the love and affection of customers, Hyundai is the number one SUV manufacturer in India. We already have 5 products and Alcazar is the latest one, which has plugged the gap that existed in the six-seven seater category. I believe we have a strong range of SUVs and we continuously study the market and wherever there is a need for a particular product and if we have it, why not, we shall go ahead and launch it. As of now we have a strong range of SUVs. We have been launching products during the pandemic, we also have a new state-of-the-art office ay Gurugram, inaugurated recently, so we are very confident and India is a very important market for us. You can look forward for new products from Hyundai in every segment in the coming years.