Hyundai Motor India has announced expansion of its export portfolio with the first overseas shipment of its made-in-Chennai Exter compact SUV to South Africa. The first export batch of the Exter to South Africa comprised 996 units and makes it the eighth model to be exported to the country from India, after the Grand i10 Nios, Aura, i10, i20 N Line, Venue, Venue N Line and Alcazar.
Jae Wan Ryu, Function Head – Corporate Planning, Hyundai Motor India said, “South Africa has always been an important export market for HMIL, as most of the models that are manufactured at HMIL’s factory in Tamil Nadu are exported to South Africa. Also, 2024 is a milestone year for HMIL as it marks 20 years of exporting world-class products to South Africa. ‘Made in India, Made for the World’ is a testament to HMIL’s manufacturing prowess as it is evident that our products are not only loved by the Indian audience, but garner appreciation from customers the world over. I am confident that the Hyundai Exter would be highly appreciated in South Africa.”
The Exter, manufactured exclusively by Hyundai Motor India, has surpassed the milestone of 100,000 sales in India. Launched on July 10, 2023, Hyundai’s second compact SUV (after the Venue) took 13 months to achieve the 100,000 domestic market sales milestone in the ultra-competitive compact SUV segment.
The company has earlier this year launched the Hy-CNG (Dual Cylinder CNG) and Knight Edition variants.
In the current fiscal year, between April and August 2024, Hyundai Motor India has exported a total of 71,800 passenger vehicles, up 4.50% (April-August 2023: 68,705 units). Of this SUVs or utility vehicles comprise 13,513 units, up 0.46% YoY (April-August 2023: 13,450 units).
In FY2024, Hyundai Motor India had exported 163,155 passenger vehicles, up 7% YoY which kept it in No. 2 position. The company, which lost the top exporter title to Maruti Suzuki in FY2022, has been stretched for manufacturing capacity and has focused on catering to demand in the domestic market. But with additional capacity coming its way with the acquisition of GM India’s Talegaon plant, it is now better placed to cater to exports in the coming years. In FY2024, Hyundai’s top PV exports included the i10 and i20 hatchbacks (80,790 units), the new sixth-generation Verna sedan (55,170 units), Venue and Exter SUVs (12,504 units), flagship Alcazar SUV (10,825 units) and the Creta SUV (3,859 units).