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This leading automaker is planning to launch electric vehicles in India: Get details inside

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South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co has announced its aspirational EV plans stating that the company plans to invest Rs 40 billion ($530 million) to launch six electric vehicles in India by 2028, making a clean driving push in a country with some of the world`s most polluted cities. Hyundai, India’s second largest carmaker, will launch affordable and premium electric models including sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and sedans, starting with its second electric vehicle (EV) in 2022, said Tarun Garg, director sales and marketing for Hyundai Motor India.

Hyundai India was the first automaker in India to launch an electric SUV with over 400 km (452 km ARAI certified) battery range. “We want to be a key contributor to the EV story in India,” Garg told Reuters. The investment will be sunk into research and development to launch the six vehicles, Hyundai`s Indian arm said in a release. Stricter emission regulations by governments are propelling automakers globally to invest in EVs, sales of which are expected to increase to about a quarter of total global vehicle sales by 2030 from about 2% today.

In India, EVs account for less than 1% of total car sales, but the government is aiming for a share of 30% by 2030. Hyundai’s plans also come as the world’s biggest electric carmaker Tesla Inc is preparing to launch its cars in India and has been lobbying the government to lower import duties on EVs.

Hyundai joins rivals Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra in throwing its weight behind EVs at a time when India is pushing automakers to go electric as it looks to reduce pollution and fuel imports. The country’s top carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, however, is betting on alternate fuels and hybrid technology, and expects to launch EVs starting only in 2025.

Hyundai’s EVs will be built on its dedicated electric global modular platform (E-GMP), which it plans to bring to India, or on a modified platform on which it currently builds its gasoline cars, Garg said. The cars built on its dedicated electric platform will have a range of up to 800 kilometres, whereas the others will be able to run for 350-400 kilometres on a single charge, he said.

The company in 2019 launched its Kona EV in India but sales were tepid as the price was high and charging infrastructure was negligible at the time. Garg said Kona taught the company the need to make its EVs affordable, while also providing different charging solutions.

Hyundai is in talks with suppliers to locally source and manufacture components for its EVs, which will help it make the cars more affordable. In addition to providing home chargers, Hyundai is also looking to form strategic tie-ups to provide public charging facilities, Garg said.

“Kona was about testing the waters in India. The learnings from it have given us the confidence to make this push,” he said.

With inputs from Reuters

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Improved version of Hyundai Creta launched in Indian market: Check it out here

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Hyundai India launched the much-awaited Creta Knight Edition in the country at a starting price of Rs 13.51 lakh (ex-showroom, all-India). This new variant is available in both petrol and diesel engine options and can be had either with a manual or an automatic transmission unit. To read more about the Creta Knight Edition, click here. In addition to this, the company has also introduced a model-year update for the Hyundai Creta with new feature additions.

The 2022 Hyundai Creta is now available in a new Denim Blue colour option and the Highline TPMS is now standard across all variants. The SX (O) trim now also gets a glossy black centre console. Furthermore, the company will offer the iMT option on the 1.5-litre petrol ‘S’ variant to further expand choices for the customers. The new S+ variant powered by a 1.4-litre T-GDi petrol engine with 7DCT now gets an additional set of features, such as –

– Smart panoramic sunroof

– 16-inch black alloy wheels

– Smartphone wireless charger

– Rear Disc Brakes

– Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

– Vehicle Stability Management (VSM)

– Hill start assist control (HAC)

– Paddle shifters

– Metal pedals

– Electric and auto-folding ORVMs

– Power window auto up/down

Mechanically, the SUV continues to be powered by the existing petrol and diesel engine options.

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