Hyundai India Rules Out Verna N Line, Focuses on BEVs
Hyundai India has reported that there will be no add for the N Line variant to the Verna sedan, and the table to such speculation is set. This pick occurs even though the availability of a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine in the Verna is available, hence some expected the vehicle would undergo the N Line approach.
In the last interaction when I asked Mr Tarun Garg COO, of Hyundai Motor India, he put straight the company's position: "There is no plan of Hyundai Verna N Line launch as of now." Garg mentioned that the existing share of sedans has been decreasing to the level of 8%, which is why the company is not preparing to launch a separate model in this category. In addition to that, he added to it by including sales numbers from January of 2024, citing that the Hyundai Verna held the lead in the midsize sedan segment with sales of 2,172 units, while the Volkswagen Virtus and Skoda Slavia trailed with 1,879 units and 1,242 units respectively.
To impart a target-oriented tone, Garg switched to EVs and then the other one. Mr Modi named this fact as the one which is heavily playing under the government policy and especially by the India manufacturing of electric vehicles incentive scheme (FAME II). In the course of tune with the Indian market moving towards EVs, Hyundai accordingly switched its priorities.
Garg pointed to Hyundai's adoption of hybrid technology on a global scale and subsequently communicated about India's BEV focus, which is the key to this roadmap. Pantundini highlighted that tech OEM which Mahindra and Tata belong to, specializes in BEVs, thus building up their confidence in the electric vehicles industry.
Highlighting Hyundai's plans, Garg mentioned the localization of battery packs as a strategic move to reduce costs and facilitate the introduction of more BEVs in the Indian market. He concluded by reaffirming Hyundai's focus on BEVs as the way forward in India, stating, "We will be localizing the battery packs which will help us bring down the cost and allow us to introduce more BEVs in the future."
Thus, led by Hyundai India's leadership, the primary focus appears to be further intensified in leading the EV (electric vehicle) wave while Verna N Line is regarded as not on the consideration list in the coming times.