Hyundai Eon – Studio shots

Hyundai launched the 814cc hatchback Eon this afternoon and the rush begins to build up at dealerships. While many of us predicted a starting price of less than 2.5 lakh rupees, Hyundai has pushed it to 2.69 may be praised by a load of positive from critics and customers.

The Eon, although better is cheaper to buy the Santro with better interior design and many useful features in comparison. The plastic quality, fit and finish are best in class. But Hyundai is clever not to spec it to the brim. Despite this, we will see many Santro owners switching to Eon.

The three advantages the Santro has over Eon -

• Option of LPG and CNG
• 1-liter engine with higher outputs (63PS/89Nm compared to 56PS/75Nm)
• Resale value

Three advantages Eon has over Santro

• Fluidic design language makes Santro look like the original Godrej Bero
• Price advantage (2.69-3.75 lakh compared to 2.84-3.96 lakh)
• Better fuel economy (21.1 kmpl)

In the next three years, we expect to see Hyundai making these moves (purely speculative)

• Introduce LPG variant (caught on test) and CNG variant. Will they bring a sub-1 liter diesel?
• Launch 1.0-liter petrol engine variant (possibly the Kappa-based petrol motor used on the export market i10)
• Offer features like height-adjustable driver seat, Bluetooth connectivity, steering-mounted audio controls, etc – Listen to the customer and upgrade variants
• By doing so replace the Santro range

We’d like to see how this impacts sales of Alto brand. The Alto is India’s best selling car and manages 25k+ units every month. We’re also keeping a close watch on the Santro sales. How much will the Eon cannibalize Santro sales?

The Eon does more good than bad. It increases footfalls at dealerships. This is the time Santro and i10 sales executives need to be alert at dealers.

Source

Posted in: Hyundai