The revamped Hyundai Creta has quickly become a hit among Indian car buyers, amassing over 75,000 bookings just six weeks after its launch. This overwhelming response has resulted in extended wait times, especially for the diesel variants, with some deliveries scheduled as far out as 2026. Tarun Garg, COO of Hyundai India, notes that 90% of the bookings favor the mid-spec and top-spec variants, showcasing a preference for advanced features and safety equipment. Interestingly, diesel engines remain popular, constituting 43% of the bookings.
2024 Hyundai Creta diesel sees high waiting period
However, the popularity of diesel variants comes with a downside: prolonged wait times. Customers ordering a Creta diesel can expect a wait of around 24 weeks, with manual transmissions offering slightly shorter waits compared to automatics. Conversely, the naturally aspirated petrol variants have the shortest waiting period at around 8 weeks, followed by the turbo-petrol trims. Despite the delays, the Creta continues to perform well for Hyundai, witnessing a 12% year-on-year growth in February 2024, achieving its highest ever monthly sales figure in India with 15,276 units sold.
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Hyundai acknowledges the high demand for the Creta, with 97,000 pending bookings in their system, nearly half of which are for the Creta alone. To meet this demand, Hyundai has boosted its production capacity by 50,000 units per year, bringing the total production capacity in India to 825,000 units annually. Currently operating at nearly 95% capacity, with exports accounting for 20% of production, Hyundai’s recent acquisition of the Talegaon plant is expected to further increase capacity to 1 million units per year in the mid-term.