2020 Hyundai Creta Off to a Strong Start but Kia Seltos Had Buyers More Excited

Hyundai has reported a phenomenal success with the new-generation Creta, even before the vehicle has launched in the market. Pre-bookings for the new vehicle begun on March 2, and in just 10 days, the car has garnered over 10,000 orders. Without a doubt, this is a mighty impressive feat in itself, but, interestingly, it still falls short of the overwhelming response Kia had received for the Seltos. The Kia SUV was launched in July last year, and had managed to receive a total of 6,046 bookings on the first day itself!

The new Hyundai Creta will launch in the Indian market on 16^th March

There are several factors that could have been the reason behind the difference in consumer response. The primary reason could be the ongoing sales slump in the Indian Auto market. Although the Seltos wasn’t launched before the sales had plummeted, the auto industry is in a much more delicate state than it was at that time. Plus, with the fiscal-end in sight, some drop in demand for new cars is bound to be witnessed. Yet, it's commendable that Hyundai has managed to defy all expectation, managing to post such brilliant booking figures.

“The last few months of the Creta’s lifecycle has seen the sales numbers go down. We don’t always pursue volumes but for position and perception, and of course to show the response from customer, we want to become the number one player in the segment with the new model. With the Creta, we created a segment and now that segment has many other players and might be the fastest growing in terms of demand. With the new Creta, I think we can do even better than we had done in the past.”

S S Kim, MD and CEO, Hyundai Motor India

Also Read: Hyundai Creta 7-seater Imagined Digitally

2020 Hyundai Creta vs Kia Seltos | Auto Expo 2020 | IndianAutosBlog

Both the SUVs, new-gen Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos, share a lot of components between them, including the platform and the powertrains options. There is a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel, a 1.5-litre petrol, and a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol. The first two engine options are available with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic, while the turbocharged petrol motor can be bought with a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. There are also differences between the two cars, limited mostly to aesthetics. Where the Seltos is sportier yet simpler, the Creta is sharper and more premium-looking. It would be interesting to see where Hyundai places its new SUV in comparison to the Kia after the launch.