Hyundai Motor India has launched the Exter for an introductory price of INR 5.99 lakh ex-showroom, India. With this launch, the Korean carmaker has eight SUVs in its portfolio in six different segments.
Unsoo Kim, MD and CEO, Hyundai Motor India, noted that the Exter is the second SUV launch for the company in FY24, and a total of INR 950 crore has been invested in the project.
Tarun Garg, COO, Hyundai Motor India, noted that in FY23, around 54% of the total sales for the company came from SUVs, with 26,809 SUVs sold in the year compared to 21,049 units sold a year ago.
A press release from HMIL noted that Hyundai EXTER has been developed on the tenets of five key pillars: Energetic exterior, Xtra spacious & comfortable interior, Technologically advanced, Enthusiastic & eco-friendly powertrain and Robust & reliable safety.
Sitting at the entry point in the HMIL’s SUV lineup, the Exter is targeted towards Gen MZ customers in their career's early stages. Sporting the company’s ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ design language, the vehicle features an H-shaped DRL at the front while the taillight also gets the ‘H- shape’ treatment. It also gets 15-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels.
Chohee Park, Head, Hyundai Advanced Design India, noted that designers of different age groups have worked on the Exter project to make it appealing for a challenging market like India.
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On the inside, the SUV has an 8-inch HD infotainment system compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, an onboard navigation system, and multi-language UI support with ten regional and two global languages.
Besides, it also gets 4.2-inch colour TFT multi-information digital instrument cluster, leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob, footwell lighting, metal pedals, dashcam with dual cameras and 2.31-inch display, wireless charger, fully automatic temperature control (FATC) with digital display to name a few. The vehicle further gets 92 embedded voice commands, including 15 Hinglish commands.
The SUV also gets Hyundai Bluelink with 60 connected features and three years of OTA updates for the infotainment system.
Powering the SUV is a 1.2L Kappa petrol engine (E20 Fuel Ready) available with 5-speed manual transmission (5MT), Smart Auto AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) and 1.2L Bi-fuel Kappa petrol with CNG engine equipped with 5-speed Manual transmission.
The petrol engine churns out 83 Ps of power and 113.8 Nm of torque while returning 19.4 kmpl in the MT form and 19.2 kmpl in the AMT. The CNG option produces 69 Ps of power and 95.2 Nm of torque while returning 27.1 kmpg, as claimed.
Regarding safety, the Exter gets six airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, burglar alarm, hill assist control, engine immobiliser and rear parking sensors, among others.