Hyundai launches sub-4 m sedan Xcent priced Rs4.66 lakh

Hyundai Motor India, the second-largest car manufacturer, launched its first sub-4-metre sedan, based on the Grand i10 platform, which would take on current best-sellers in the segment - Honda's Amaze and Maruti Suzuki's Dzire.

Xcent is priced Rs4.66 lakh to Rs6.47 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for petrol variants and Rs5.56 lakh to Rs7.38 lakh for diesel. The vehicle also comes with an automatic transmission.

The car would compete directly with the existing leaders in the segment – Dzire and Amaze. Maruti clocked sales of 18,000 units of Dzire in February, while sales of Honda's Amaze stood at 6,000 units.

With the launch of the model, the company is looking for positive sales growth this year. Despite the launch of Grand i10 last year, overall sales were down 1.2 per cent at 6.33 lakh units last year.

Rising demand for sub-4-metre sedans, has sent manufacturers scrambling to launch products in this segment. While Ford India showed off its Figo concept sedan at last month's auto expo, Tata Motors is set to launch its compact sedan Zest next fiscal.

"The compact sedan segment has been one of the major drivers of the Indian car market with about 24,000 units of sales a month. We believe the segment will continue to grow and Xcent will further increase the growth," Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice-president, Hyundai Motor India, told reporters in Delhi during the launch.

The mini sedan segment, typically consisting of cars under 4 meters in length and petrol engine under 1,200cc and diesel below 1,500cc (due to duty benefits), has been booming despite a slump in the overall car market. The lower duty on the cars enables companies to price them attractively, making them affordable for aspirational middle-class buyers.

Times of India quoted Srivastava as saying that the entry sedan accounted for almost 24,000 units monthly sales and had seen a growth of 28 per cent last year. It was one of the fastest-growing segments in the Indian car market, and had seen growth despite the sluggishness in the overall demand, he added.

The Xcent, developed with the best of Hyundai Motor's world class technologies, would create a new benchmark in terms of quality, design, space, features and driving pleasure in the compact sedan segment, The Times of India quoted B S Seo, managing director and chief executive officer, Hyundai India, as saying. The company, he added, had invested extensive effort in competitively pricing Xcent to offer excellent value.