Will Hyundai bring this car to India?
The entry-level people-mover segment is quite popular in India as people love value for money products. Historically, Maruti has had an iron hold on this segment with cars like the Eeco, Ertiga and XL6. Many cars have tried to remove this monopoly, but with limited success. Kia is the latest manufacturer trying its hand in the MPV segment with its Carens which has found success to quite an extent. So, can we see more cars in this segment? Probably. Hyundai recently launched the Stargazer in Indonesia, but will it come to India? In today’s article, let’s talk about the Hyundai MPV and whether it can come to India.
Will it come to India?
Hyundai recently launched the Stargazer in Indonesia. Going forward, Hyundai is expected to launch the Stargazer in more South East Asian markets. So will it come to India? There is no official confirmation from Hyundai, but the brand could consider it seeing the success of the Kia Carens. Hyundai has more reach in the Indian market than Kia, which can lead to even better sales. If Hyundai does plan to bring it to India, the Auto Expo 2023 will be the perfect time for Hyundai to unveil it here.
Hyundai MPV India – Design
The front of the Staria is unique with a LED DRL running across the bonnet. It gets Hyundai’s new parametric grille flanked by the main headlamp units. The Stargazer seems to have taken design cues from the Staria van sold outside India. What about the side profile? The side profile gets sharp cuts and the curvy design with a rear overhang is clearly visible. At the rear, we have big vertical tail lamps with a connecting strip in the middle forming an H-shape. One interesting thing to note here is that the Stargazer looks different from the Maruti Ertiga/XL6 and Kia Carens. Where the existing MPVs have a longer bonnet, the Staria has a smaller one which helps in giving it an overall sloping profile.
Interior & features
Coming to the interiors, the Stargazer comes with both 6-seater and 7-seater options. The cabin of the Stargazer looks typical Hyundai. It comes with a floating infotainment system, extending into the instrument cluster housing as we see on the Kia Seltos. Below the infotainment system, we have the AC vents and HVAC controls. What about features? The Stargazer comes with the BlueLink connected car technology, digital instrument cluster, roof-mounted AC vents and wireless charging. The Stargazer also comes with ADAS functionality.
Now, Hyundai is expected to extended the Level 2 ADAS functionality to its other cars as well. This means that if the Korean carmakers does decide to bring this MPV here, it can come with ADAS capabilities. This also puts in the line of becoming the first MPV in the segment to come with ADAS, if Hyundai launches it here.
Hyundai MPV India – Specifications
In Indonesia, the Stargazer comes with a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine option only. This is the same engine we see on the Kia Carens, Hyundai Creta, etc. In India, we expect this engine as well as the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol unit. What about the diesel engine? The diesel engine will be Hyundai’s 1.5-litre workhorse. Manual and automatic options are expected to be made available for all engines.
Pricing
Hyundai knows that pricing is an important aspect in the Indian market and we expect this MPV to be priced aggressively. The biggest rival for this MPV would be the Maruti Ertiga. For reference, the Ertiga starts at Rs 9.77 lakh and goes till Rs 15.08 lakh (on-road, Mumbai). If Hyundai can position the Stargazer slightly lower than this, it definitely can steal some chunk of buyers from the Ertiga as well as the Kia Carens.
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