Hyundai to commence 3rd shift to increase production; export more

New Delhi, Sep 4 (UNI) Hyundai Motors India Ltd (HMIL) today said it plans to scale up its production capacity as it aims to export more to the overseas market.

''We will begin the third shift operations at our factory in Chennai. By next year, our overall production would be six lakh units,'' company Managing Director and CEO H S Lheem told reporters on the sidelines of the SIAM Annual Convention in the capital.

The company will start the third shift by October onwards, he said.

Mr Lheem said the company has a lot of backlog orders for exports and hence it requires ramping up its production capacity.

''Earlier, our domestic sales accounted for about 58 per cent of the total sales and the rest came from exports. But now, we see a 50-50 contribution from both domestic and overseas sales,'' Mr Lheem said.

The company is targeting to sell about 5.30 lakh units this year. Last year, it had sold about 3.30 lakh units out of which about 1.15 lakh units were exported.

Hyundai would also launch its compact car 'i20' in the country by the end of this year which is all set to make its debut at the upcoming Paris Motor show.

The stylish five-door hatch back will have a longer wheelbase than the existing Getz, and will be both bigger inside and have a more dynamic appearance, plus it will be full of exciting new technologies.

Joining the i20 will be the i20 i-blue concept car, which will use Hyundai's all new 1.4 CRDi diesel engine, resulting in a CO2 output of just 99g/km and a fuel consumption of 68mpg.

The company also plans to roll out the LPG verison of the Santro this month, Mr Lheem said, while the Accent version will come out in October.

Mr Lheem said the government must support automotive companies who were exporting huge quantities from India to make it become a global small-car hub.

The Automotive Mission Plan 2016 had outlined measures to make India a global small-car hub, but there has been no support coming from the government to help companies export in large numbers, he said.

UNI TEAM SG HT1904