Hyundai Motor India has ruled out making a Rs 100,000 small car to take on Tata Motors, which is planning such a vehicle and expressed doubts that such a low-priced car could meet global safety and emission norms.
"We cannot develop such a car," company's president B V R Subbu said when asked about its closest rival, Tata Motors, working on the concept of a 'people's car'.
"It will be an unbeatable product if the car meets global safety and emission norms. We do not think one can develop a car at Rs 100,000, which meets international safety and emission norms," Subbu said.
Tata Motors vice-president (commercial) Rajiv Dube had recently said work on the Rs 100,000 car was on even as India's biggest carmaker Maruti Udyog doubted the feasibility of producing such a car.
"The project to make an entry-level car with a price tag of Rs 100,000 is under conceptualisation. It may take 3-5 years to develop the vehicle," he said.
Maruti chairman N Nakanishi said in Japan that the Rs 100,000 rupee car did not seem feasible.