Korean car maker Hyundai on Friday launched the much anticipated Alcazar sports utility vehicle, foraying into the six/seven seat premium SUV segment. Alcazar price starts at Rs 16.30 lakh for the entry Prestige trim (seven-seater, petrol and manual transmission variant), going all the way to Rs 20 lakh for the Signature trim (six-seater, diesel and automatic transmission).
Hyundai had opened bookings for the Made for and Made in India SUV on June 9 and in just about 10 days, the SUV has clocked 4,000 bookings.
What’s unique and attractive about the Alcazar?
The Hyundai Alcazar is available in just three trims—Prestige, Platinum and Signature—and all of them will be available in six or seven-seater as well as manual and automatic transmission variants.
Furthermore, even the base Prestige variant will come equipped with features like the panoramic sunroof, the 10.25 inch multi-display digital cluster, usually available in top trims. The Alcazar also gets loads of standard safety features, including dual airbags, anti-lock braking system with EBD, rear parking camera, electronic stability control, hill start assist, rear disc brakes, tyre pressure monitor and child seat anchors.
Higher variants of the Alcazar get additional safety features like six airbags, front and rear parking sensors, blind view monitor and 360 degree camera.
There are several first in-segment or best in-segment features like second row console armrest, with wireless smartphone charger, front row seat back table with IT device holder and retractable cup holder, 8-way power driver seat, a remote engine start with smart key, and auto air purifier, among other things.
The SUV will be powered by the 2.0 litre petrol MPi or the 1.5 liter diesel CRDi engine and both will be available in six speed manual or automatic transmissions. Also a point to note is that Hyundai has managed to keep the price difference between the respective diesel and petrol variants at just around Rs 15,000-20,000.
also read
- Hyundai Creta Electric SUV unveiled: Details to know a price announcement on February 1
- Hyundai to launch electric version of Creta at upcoming Mobility Expo
- Is Kia Syros better than the Hyundai Exter? Price, features and variants
- Slow sales growth in the festive season dampens two-wheeler market sentiment
Of the bookings received so far, 55 per cent are for diesel variants. Also half of the people have opted for automatic transmission, while 60 per cent have chosen the six-seater variant.
How Alcazar fits in Hyundai’s SUV lineup
“Hyundai already had four SUVs—Kona, which caters to the electric space, Venue—the entry level SUV, then of course, the Creta, which has been the market leader, and the top of the line Tucson, which is also selling now in great numbers. We could see there was clearly a gap that existed for a premium SUV, where we could sell mass volumes. Market research also suggested there were so many people who wanted to upgrade from the Creta. Post COVID-19, the need for travelling together with families and in a space as convenient as your home or office has come up,” said Tarun Garg, director, marketing, sales and service at Hyundai Motor India.
Close to Rs 650 crore has been invested in developing the Alcazar. Although the deliveries start from Friday, for the initial bookings of the Alcazar, the company has given a waiting period of four to eight weeks.
The Alcazar is a model specifically targeted towards the Indian market and has been developed keeping in mind the Indian customer, said Garg. Therefore, while Hyundai is open to exporting the Alcazar going ahead, the focus will mainly remain on the Indian market, he added.