Five lakh Hyundai Cretas sold in five years

The Hyundai Creta, which was originally launched in the country back in 2015, is celebrating its fifth anniversary. Before we look at the milestones that have brought the model to become what it is today, you can catch our review of the second-generation Creta with the help of the link here.

First innings

The Hyundai Creta, also known as the ix25 or the Hyundai Cantus, was introduced back in 2015. The compact SUV amassed 70,000 bookings in about four months, which rose to 1 lakh bookings about eight months after the model was launched in the country. In less than a year, Hyundai was pushed to increase the production of the Creta by 20%, to around 12,000 units a month, in order to meet the increasing demand. Hyundai later launched the Creta anniversary edition to celebrate a year of the model’s success in the country. The Creta arrived at Indian shores at a time when the SUV body style was on the verge of becoming a common sight on Indian roads. The Creta was the second compact SUV after the Renault Duster to be launched in the country, giving it a significant advantage over its rivals. 

Mid-life update

At the 2016 Sao Paulo Auto Show, the Korean automobile manufacturer showcased the facelifted version of the Creta, although the model made it to Indian shores in mid-2018. The Creta facelift registered 14,000 bookings within a month of the updated model’s launch.

Crossing the 5 lakh unit sales milestone

Towards the beginning of 2019, the Hyundai Creta surpassed the sales milestone of 5 lakh units, selling 3.70 lakh units in India alone while the balance of 1.4 lakh units accounted for the export market. Come 2020, Hyundai unveiled the second generation Creta, known as the ix25 in China at the 2019 Shanghai Motor Show. The India-spec model was showcased for the first time at the 2020 Auto Expo followed by the launch in March. Even as car sales across the globe plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the new Creta managed to clock 55,000 bookings in four months, 20,000 units of which have already been delivered to their owners.

The reason behind the popularity of the Creta

The success of the Hyundai Creta can be attributed to the segment-leading features offered by the model, right from the first-generation model that made its debut in 2015 to the second-gen version that was launched in India earlier this year. Feature highlights of the Hyundai Creta currently include an eight-way adjustable driver seat, Bose sound system, panoramic sunroof, drive modes and electronic parking brake. Also on offer with the model is Hyundai BlueLink connectivity that offers over 50 connected car features like remote engine start and smartwatch connectivity. The model is offered in a wide range of variants that include E, EX, S, SX and SX (O).

The second-gen Hyundai Creta is offered with a 1.5-litre NA petrol engine, 1.5-litre diesel engine and a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine. Transmission duties are taken care of by a six-speed manual unit as standard on the 1.5-litre variants. An IVT unit, six-speed torque converter unit and a seven-speed torque-converter unit are offered as an option respectively.