Reference Auto

Hyundai has seen a great deal of success with its small cars Santro and i10 with the latter becoming the highest selling car for the Korean major, and now, the auto giant is looking to rev up in the above Rs 5 lakh-segment with the launch of a modified variant of its midsized sedan christened the Accent Executive 2011.

The Hyundai Accent Executive 2011 has been priced at Rs 5.01 lakh in Delhi. The exteriors of the new Accent Executive have a chrome finish front grille and the body-coloured sideline molding come with chrome inserts.

Besides, the car also has a new chrome garnish over the licence plate, according to a statement by Hyundai Motor India.

“The Accent 2011 edition has brought in elegant styling which makes it not only sophisticated but a sought-after car. It is our relentless effort to understand the changing customer preferences and keep rolling out cars with new features, keeping in mind customer requirements. We are confident that with the new styling, the Accent 2011 edition will find many takers in India,” said Arvind Saxena, Hyundai Motor India director (sales and marketing).

The Accent was first launched in 1999 and also comes in alternative fuel options such as CNG and LPG variants. The Korean car has seen healthy sales of the Accent in the overseas market, with the numbers touching a whopping three lakh.

Hyundai Accent’s peers like the Ford Ikon, Maruti’s Esteem and the Opel Corsa have all been discontinued in India but the Accent continues to move along, with sales figures enough to keep the car and the Korean automaker ticking.

As of now, Hyundai India exports its cars to more than 115 countries. The Korean auto giant has its factory in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu where it manufactures seven of its models — the Santro, i10 and i20, Accent, Verna Transform, Sonata Transform and the popular SUV Santa Fe.

Till quite some time back, Hyundai was slow on invention in the Rs 5-lakh bracket compared to its peers such as Tata Motors. The auto giant has been rolling out new models now and then but Hyundai had stuck to the Accent.

But the rolling out of the i20 has been a game-changer in the segment for Hyundai and the car has been logging impressive sales since its roll out. 

For about Rs 1.5 lakh more, the Korean auto major offers the Verna, which is priced around Rs 6.5 lakh. But the car has not been doing well with average sales standing at 1,000 units.

The Hyundai Accent may not be in the popularity charts but it is a value-for-money car. The car is available in two variants — the Hyundai Accent Executive and Hyundai Accent LPG. Both versions are propelled by the same engine (1.5 litre, 1495 cc, four cylinder, SOHC engine).

The engine produces 95 Ps at 5,500 rpm and generates a top torque of 12.7 kgf-m at 3,500 rpm. The Hyundai Accent sedan comes with a five-speed manual gearbox.

The Hyundai Accent is economically priced also so far as safety features go and has features such as central door locking, child-proof rear door locks, day and night inside rear view mirror, keyless entry, headlamp levelling device, high mount stop lamp and immobiliser, among others.

But with companies like Toyota rolling out the Etios, Maruti offering the Swift and Hyundai the i20 and Verna in the same range, the Accent Executive 2011 could face stiff competition and sales may not be as impressive as the company desires.