Hyundai drives in Xcent to take on Amaze, Dzire

Hyundai Motor India, the second-largest car manufacturer, launched its first sub-4-metre sedan, based on the Grand i10 platform, which will compete with the current best-sellers in the segment -- Honda's Amaze and Maruti Suzuki's Dzire.

Xcent is priced Rs 4.66 lakh to Rs 6.47 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for petrol variants and Rs 5.56 lakh to Rs 7.38 lakh for diesel. The vehicle is also available with an automatic transmission.

Xcent will directly compete with the existing leaders in the segment – Dzire and Amaze. Maruti sold almost 18,000 units of Dzire in February, while Honda sold around 6,000 units of Amaze.

With the launch of this model, the company is hoping for positive sales growth this year. Despite the launch of Grand i10 last year, the company's overall sales declined 1.2% at 6.33 lakh units last year.

With increasing demand for sub-4-metre sedans, most manufacturers are looking at launching products in this segment. While Ford India displayed its Figo concept sedan at the auto expo last month, Tata Motors will launch its compact sedan Zest next fiscal.

"The compact sedan segment has been one of the major drivers of the Indian car market with about 24,000 units of sales a month. We believe the segment will continue to grow and Xcent will further increase the growth," Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice-president, Hyundai Motor India, told reporters in Delhi during the launch