Hyundai Motor India Plant Surpasses 10 Million Units in Cumulative Production After 23 Years of Operation

Hyundai Motor India's Chennai plant surpassed a cumulative production of 10 million units on the 30th. The 10 millionth vehicle produced was the premium mid-size SUV Alcazar, launched in the Indian market this month.

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[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Hyundai Motor Company's India plant has surpassed a cumulative production of 10 million vehicles after 23 years of operation.

Hyundai Motor India (HMI) announced on the 30th (local time) that it produced the 10 millionth vehicle at its Chennai plant in India and held a commemorative ceremony. The 10 millionth vehicle produced is the premium mid-size sport utility vehicle (SUV) Alcazar, which was launched in the Indian market this month.

It has been 23 years since Hyundai, which established HMI in 1996, began mass production of the Santro, a modified version of the compact car Atos, as its first model at the Chennai plant in September 1998. Hyundai is the first company to produce 10 million vehicles in just 23 years in India. Additionally, this is the second time Hyundai has achieved cumulative production of 10 million vehicles at an overseas plant, following China in 2018. The Chennai plant in India produced 1 million vehicles cumulatively in 2006 and surpassed 5 million vehicles in 2013, the first overseas plant to do so. Of the 10 million vehicles produced at the Chennai plant to date, more than 6.8 million were sold in the domestic Indian market, and over 3.1 million were sold in 88 countries worldwide.

The Hyundai Chennai plant is regarded as a historic facility built in a barren area that lacked even minimal industrial infrastructure at the time. Furthermore, this plant, capable of producing 750,000 vehicles annually, uses 100% water recycling facilities with recycled water and rainwater harvesting systems, and is equipped with more than 650 fourth-generation robots and Industry 4.0 smart manufacturing facilities, making it a local innovation case.

Hyundai plans to actively respond to the Indian market both online and offline to increase sales. Last year, it launched 'Click to Buy,' India's first online car purchasing platform. Offline, it currently operates 1,154 sales dealerships and 1,295 service dealerships in 862 cities.

Thanks to these efforts, Hyundai set its own monthly sales record in the Indian market by selling 56,605 vehicles in October last year, and domestic sales in January this year reached 52,005 vehicles, a 23.8% increase compared to the same period last year. The local market share has been maintained at around 17-18%, and last month it achieved its highest record of 24%.

HMI also announced a community-centered social value initiative for Tamil Nadu state. Hyundai promised to build a childcare center and village hall in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, operate income-generating programs for rural women in Kanchipuram, donate five life-saving ventilators, and support a mobile meal service self-sufficiency group.

Kim Sun-seop, Executive Director of Hyundai Motor India Region Headquarters, said at the event, "Hyundai has brought positive changes to the lives of stakeholders and local communities with the global vision of 'Progress for Humanity.' We thank all our customers who have trusted us and made Hyundai the most trusted smart mobility solution brand."

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