Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL) has kept itself busy in the past six months. In addition to introducing new products and services, it also improved on monthly domestic sales on a couple of occasions. For instance, in September 2020, it registered a sales growth of 23.6 per cent over the same month last year. And in November 2020, it has set a personal record.

What is it? By retailing 48,800 units, it clocked the highest ever November month domestic sales. Compared to the same month last year, HMIL recorded a 9.4 per cent sales growth. As for the exports, the company shipped 10,400 units in November 2020. That translates to degrowth of 34.6 per cent over November 2019, during which 15,900 Hyundai cars left for markets outside India. Simple math shows that the company retailed 59,200 units. Compared to the November 2019 performance (60,500), November 2020 fell short by 2.1 per cent.

In 2020, Hyundai launched a couple of hugely significant products – all-new versions of the Creta SUV and the i20 premium hatchback. The former came just before India went under a strict lockdown, courtesy of the COVID-19 outbreak. Even so, the strong pull of the Creta nameplate enabled HMIL to reclaim the throne in the compact SUV segment. As for the i20, it launched right amid the festive period. As a result, it just 20 days to garner 20,000 bookings. The new i20 makes a strong case against the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Toyota Glanza, Honda Jazz, Tata Altroz and the Volkswagen Polo.

The COVID-stricken year also saw the introduction of Hyundai’s iMT (intelligent Manual Transmission) technology. The clutchless manual gearbox debuted in the Venue and even found its way in the i20. Although Hyundai also introduced the refreshed Tucson in July this year, the SUV made its Indian debut during the Auto Expo 2020. HMIL’s flagship model is a direct rival to the Jeep Compass, Honda CR-V, Skoda Karoq and the Volkswagen T-Roc.