Starts third shift operations to meet soaring demand for i10.
i10 popularity reaches iconic proportions, over 172,000 units of i10 models sold since launch in Oct ‘07; Daily production increases from 800 to 1130 units; 820 new jobs created; Hyundai strengthens India position as global manufacturing hub for small cars.
Hyundai Motor India Ltd, the country’s second largest manufacturer and the largest passenger car exporter today announced the start of its third shift of operations at its new plant at Sriperumbudur in response to a continuing high demand for the award-winning i10 both in the domestic as well as the export market. The plant, which started operations in February this year, is dedicated largely to the production of the i10.
Since its launch in October 2007, sales of this popular compact car have reached 172,000 units in less than one year of its launch and, with the third shift in operation, the daily unit production has gone up from 800 to 1130, a 40% jump, to help meet demand.
Announcing this, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, Managing Director, Mr. H S Lheem, said, "The i10 has been breaking all grounds in terms of demand, within the country as well as in the export market. The introduction of the new shift will make us meet those demands and help us capture a bigger share of the market. This is a tremendously positive move and represents a great vote of confidence in the success of i10.”
With the introduction of the third shift, the work system will now follow an 8 hour shift followed by another 8 hour shift and then a 7 hour shift (8+8+7) pattern, instead of an 8+8 pattern that was previously being followed. Apart from meeting the exceptional demand for the i10, the introduction of the additional shift will create new jobs for 820 people.
“Today, this level of recruitment in the car manufacturing sector reflects the ongoing commitment Hyundai has in its India operations, he further added.”
Hyundai had commissioned the 535-acre plant at Sriperumbudur to aid its journey towards becoming a sector leader in the next ten years, as well as to establish India as its global small car manufacturing hub.
The export destinations for Hyundai Motor India Ltd are slated to rise to around 95 countries by the end of 2008, and the introduction of the third shift will, no doubt, bring the company closer to its target of manufacturing 5.3 lakh units by the end of 2008.
To meet the exponential demand for the i10, the company has also strengthened its dealer network and its service and support mechanisms. By the end of 2008, the company will have a 280-strong dealer network and 560 authorized service workshops.
About HMIL
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea and is the second largest and the fastest growing car manufacturer in India. HMIL presently markets 33 variants of passenger cars across segments. The Santro in the B segment, the Getz Prime and the i10 in the B+ segment, the Accent and the Verna in the C segment, the Sonata Embera in the E segment and the Tucson in the SUV segment.
Hyundai Motor India, continuing its tradition of being the fastest growing passenger car manufacturer, registering total sales of 327,160 vehicles in the calendar year (CY) 2007, an increase of 9.2 percent over CY 2006. In the domestic market it clocked a growth of 7.6 percent as compared to 2006 with 200,412 units, while overseas sales grew by 11.8 percent, with exports of 126,748 units.
HMIL’s fully integrated state-of-the-art manufacturing plant near Chennai boasts of the most advanced production, quality and testing capabilities in the country. In continuation of its commitment to provide the Indian customer with global technology, HMIL has set up its second plant, which produces an additional 300,000 units per annum, raising HMIL’s total production capacity to 600,000 units per annum.
HMIL is investing to expand capacity in line with its positioning as HMC’s global export hub for compact cars. Apart from expansion of production capacity, HMIL plans to expand its dealer network, which will be increased from 230 to 300 this year.
The year 2007 has been a significant year for Hyundai Motor India. It achieved a significant milestone by rolling out the fastest 400,000th export car. Hyundai exports to over 90 countries globally; even as it plans to continue its thrust in existing export markets, it is gearing up to step up its foray into new markets. The year just ended also saw Hyundai Motor India attaining other milestones with the launch of the i10 and yet another path-breaking record in its young journey by rolling out the fastest 1,500,000th car.
Hyundai’s new model i10 which made its global debut here in India in October, 2007 made a clean sweep of all the ‘Car of the Year 2008’ awards from the leading automotive magazines and TV channels like BS Motoring, CNBC-TV18 AutoCar, NDTV Profit Car & Bike India and Overdrive magazine. The i10 is also the choice of the discerning automotive media of the country as they conferred the prestigious ‘Indian Car of the Year’ (ICOTY) award to the i10 as well. The i10 bagged these awards on the basis of excellence in build quality, handling, driver comfort, safety and ride quality.
The Santro and the Accent also received the ‘TNS Voice of the Customer - 2008’ award for the Premium Compact Car (Santro) and the Entry Mid size Car (Accent). In March 2008 it achieved yet another milestone by rolling out the fastest 500,000th export car.
Last year, the Hyundai Verna bagged some of the most prestigious awards starting with the title of "Car of the Year 2007" by India's leading automotive publication – Overdrive, the “Best Mid-size Car of the Year” award by the NDTV Profit Car & Bike India Awards 2007, the “Best Value for Money Car” by the CNBC Autocar Auto awards and ‘Performance Car of the Year 2007’ from Business Standard Motoring.
Hyundai cars have been a favorite at all awards ceremonies and have always been winning awards. Our models like Sonata Embera won the ‘Executive Car of The Year 2006’ award from Business Standard Motoring Magazine and NDTV Profit Car & Bike India declared the Tucson as the ‘SUV of The Year 2006’. Not only this, HMIL has also been awarded the benchmark ISO 14001 certification for its sustainable environment management practices.
