One Creta sold every five minutes: Hyundai claims SUV is value proposition

Hyundai Creta has been a success in the Indian market ever since its launch in 2015. The company says it has sold over 9.80 lakh units of Creta SUV in the past eight years which roughly translates to one Creta sold every five minutes. And now, Hyundai is looking to build on these numbers through the 2024 Creta model.

Multiple factors have worked in favour of Creta since its initial introduction. Back in 2015, Creta was one of only few mid-size SUVs on offer and its styling and feature list were some key factors that connected with potential buyers. Over the years, however, company officials say that Creta has also emerged as a value proposition in the market.

Tarun Garg, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Hyundai Motor India, explained that the company has been offering segment-first features on the Creta and that this has helped it become a better value proposition than competitors since the product's conception. The 2015 model, for example, saw the introduction of automatic temperature control and smartkey with push button start, while the 2018 facelift brought in features like electronic sunroof and front ventilated seats.

Hyundai debuted an all-new Creta in 2020, which became the most successful iteration of the mid-size SUV to date. While company offered various first-in-class innovations, such as a panoramic sunroof and Bluelink connectivity, the design also caught attention of customers, particularly younger buyers. Currently, HMIL sells over 60 per cent of its models with sunroofs, while vehicles with Hyundai Bluelink technology account for more than 50 per cent of sales.

Also watch: Hyundai Creta 2024 facelift launched: First look

Building on this success, Hyundai launched the facelift Creta staring at ₹11 lakh (ex-showroom), on Tuesday. While there aren't many segment-first features this time, Hyundai is betting on the inclusion of ADAS (advanced driver-assistance system) level 2 features. Similar to what is seen in the Kia Seltos, the ADAS features for the Creta include Forward Collision Warning & Avoidance Assist, Blind-Spot View Monitor, Blind Spot Collision Warning & Avoidance Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Departure Warning, among others.

Creta driving Hyundai India growth

While company officials claim that the Creta has always tried to deliver a better value proposition than its rivals, another advantage on its side is the growth of the mid-size SUV segment itself. During the last couple of years, almost every mass-market automaker has introduced a model in the mid-size SUV segment. The segment currently has around 10 products on offer. Interestingly, since 2015, the Indian auto market has seen a remarkable jump in SUV sales, from 14 per cent to 49 per cent in 2023.

As things stand now, Hyundai claims that the Creta holds a 31 per cent market share in the mid-size SUV market while the first-generation model managed to grab a 21 per cent share in the segment. Additionally, SUVs only contributed to about 9 per cent of total sales for Hyundai in India in 2015. However now with eight SUVs in its portfolio, the company claims that 60 per cent of its sales come from SUVs.