[AMG Power]

Hyundai Motor India is coming out with a new SUV from the company’s newly acquired General Motors facility in Talegaon. Internally codenamed Ni1i, this new SUV will be positioned above the Alcazar but below the Tucson in the brand’s portfolio.

The new SUV will be the first Hyundai model for India to come with a petrol-hybrid powertrain. The Korean brand is expected to introduce its strong hybrid alternative in about two years to challenge Japanese rivals Maruti Suzuki and Toyota Kirloskar, both of which have received a positive response from the market. Sales of petrol-hybrid SUVs are gaining popularity in India, and with this all-new model, Hyundai would aim not to miss out on this trend.

It is expected to be slightly longer than the Tucson, which measures 4,630mm in length. According to sources, this new SUV could be based on the Tucson LWB sold in China, which is 4,680mm long, providing generous cabin space, especially in the third row. In comparison, the XUV700 measures 4,695mm, and the Tata Safari is 4,668mm long, both offering significantly better third-row space than the Alcazar.

Hyundai plans to produce around 50,000 units of this C-segment SUV annually, although the share of the hybrid powertrain is yet to be ascertained. This would mean that by the end of this decade, the South Korean carmaker will offer nearly half a dozen different powertrain options in India – petrol, diesel, CNG, ethanol, electric, and hybrid.




Source

[Rodie09]

I have always wondered why Hyundai is not tapping the XUV700, Safari space. There are just 2 major players there even today when it comes to a 6-7 seater that has adequate, power, torque , space and features. Road presence too.

That segment is really hot - but lot of people not venturing into it because of 'not so dependable' Tata and Mahindra. There are significant quality issues too. I strongly believe if Safari/Harrier was a Hyundai product, it'd be selling 3 times more and there is good reason to it.

Finally, looks like Hyundai is taking up this challenge. If they come up with a good product, they surely have an advantage over Tata and Mahindra in lot of other areas.

Will be watching this space closely.

[normaltusker]

I believe that Hyundai is fairly late to the game now. Mahindra and Tata have captured the C Segment very well and their strong points are the torquey Diesel engines which I am of the opinion that Hyundai may not be able to come close to. Their best bet is the Petrol engine which also feels underpowered in comparison, at least on paper.

[Ays7]

Aah, this will definitely help Hyundai put a foot in this segment dominated by XUV-700 and Safari. Always wondered why they have not ventured into it as yet. If this is a competent product, it will give a lot of prospective buyers that peace of mind that is associated with purchasing a Hyundai.

Xuv 700 is very popular but it does have its fair share of niggles. As for Safari, Tata QC is well known. Also lack of Petrol engine hurts Safari as it is.

The market has matured enough that buyers in this segment will shell out 25-35 Big ones for a comfier 7 seater and knowing Hyundai they will come up with loaded to the gills top variant that will put other brands on the back foot. However, both Safari and XUV-700 are extremely well - kitted and feature loaded as well. If anything, this will increase the market size.

The question is what happens to Alcazar then. It will be an existential crisis for Alcazar? It will just have to compete with Hector Plus.

[sandeepmdas]

Originally Posted by Ays7

The question is what happens to Alcazar then. It will be an existential crisis for Alcazar?

I came here to ask this question.

I think they learned from Mahindra, who is selling a lot of seven-seaters side-by-side: the XUV, ScorpioN, Scorpio Classic, the Bolero...

[uditanshh]

Now Hyundai will take 3 years to develop this model and launch it with the Hybrid onslaught planned from 2027. That is the same time the BS7 and CAFE III norms are expected to be implemented. In order to be CAFE III compliant, M&M needs to invest in alternate powertrains, including hybrid. With the EV sales slowing down, Mahindra needs to move fast if they want to keep their market share intact. Mahindra has full 3 years ahead of them for the development of the Hybrid powertrain or just get it from the rumored Skoda-VW-Mahindra JV.

Just like the Innova Hycross has a 2L Hybrids powertrain, M&M needs to develop a hybrid version of that 2.0L mStallion T-GDi. Of late, Mahindra has shown some flexibility towards Hybrids, Tata however, still remains reactive instead of proactive and still seems to banking only on EVs.

[Axe77]

Sweet! It’s time for the Toyota monopoly to be challenged and no one better than the Koreans to take that charge.

If they can create a proper alternative to the Hycross, I’d happily pick a Hyundai or Kia over the Toyota - can be assured of a better and more aesthetically pleasing interior quality as well.

[AMG Power]

Hyundai is covering all its bases in India. Cars / SUV’s at every price / power / performance / feature point.

And this is without launching their Luxury (Genesis) or Pure Performance (N) brands nor their Santa Fe, Veloster, Ioniq 6. Grandeur and other models. They probably know those models will not sell here.

And then there is their performance on the World Rally Championship stage where they have won the world title twice and are a close second to Toyota now.

Their smartness lies in their ability to judge exactly what the market wants and come up with new models very quickly. Its going to be difficult for most car companies to play catch up. They are currently the third larger car manufacturer in the world.

[JunkyardHunter]

Originally Posted by Ays7

The question is what happens to Alcazar then. It will be an existential crisis for Alcazar? It will just have to compete with Hector Plus.

The Alcazar has historically been a low seller for Hyundai. However, I really don't think that Hyundai would discontinue it /cannibalize it's sales so quickly after the facelift.

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by JunkyardHunter

The Alcazar has historically been a low seller for Hyundai. However, I really don't think that Hyundai would discontinue it /cannibalize it's sales so quickly after the facelift.

Its only a facelift. They might decide to go with this new model on Alcazar's end of life after 2 years.
They did exactly that to the Getz. it was not selling well and decided to stop it.

[chiefpk]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Sweet! It’s time for the Toyota monopoly to be challenged and no one better than the Koreans to take that charge.

If they can create a proper alternative to the Hycross, I’d happily pick a Hyundai or Kia over the Toyota - can be assured of a better and more aesthetically pleasing interior quality as well.

Exactly. The brand image of Hyundai or Kia is no less than what Toyota has garnered over the years. Infact their Suzuki partnership has only been holding them back in terms of putting out quality interiors in their cars.

Hyundai and Kia have absolutely been nailing their products by default at launch. Their level of sophistication and attention to detail will only help them gain some more market share and be at the no.2 of the table for the Indian Market. Interesting times ahead.

[sprashanth1982]

Really excited to hear Hyundai bringing a Hybrid car to India, however I wished they would bring it in the Compact SUV platform (a la Grand Vitara / Hyryder) - I think it would be a massive success, though there is chance of hampering Creta sales, which IMO is their bread-n-butter model.

Still I think bringing a larger Hybrid SUV to compete with Hycross / Invicto is a good start; will see how it performs in our market.

[funnysaltbrick]

Good move from Hyundai. If they're gunning for a hybrid platform, they should consider/evaluate a diesel-hybrid as well, for mile-munching purposes ofcourse, and as a reminder to Tata and Mahindra that a Hybrid is viable.

If they pull off a Petrol-Diesel(Hybrid) quartet, that will be a golden moment and a bench-setter for the industry, along with the gearbox options. Hyundai have always done a full-spread approach, this should be no different.

[shankar.balan]

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[AMG Power]

@ Shankar: This is a completely new model positioned between the Tucson and the Alcazar.

The Palisade is hierarchically three models above the current positioning of the Ni1i. (Ni1i -> Tucson -> Santa Fe -> Palisade)

It is their flagship model and comes with a V6 3.8L petrol engine and a 2.2L diesel. Even had a V8 at one point. Not something they would launch with a 1.5L engine. (even with current downsizing trends)