Hyundai plans CNG small car

Disappointed with dismal sales of its top end premium sedan Sonata, Hyundai Motor India Ltd will launch a diesel variant of the model this October, while it is readying to introduce a CNG driven small car by early next year.

"Currently we sell about 50 units of the Sonata and I am quite disappointed with it. Our target is to sell about 2,000 units a year," HMIL Managing Director H S Lheem told reporters in New Delhi.

"By early October this year we will be launching a diesel variant of the Sonata and expect to boost sales," he added.

He said the company has not yet worked out as to how much will be the price difference between the existing Sonata and the diesel variant, but said the company expected to sell about 200 units a month.

With rivals Maruti coming out with LPG WagonR, Hyundai is also working on alternative fuel small cars.

"We have our plans to introduce

CNG powered small cars by early January next year. The process of development is on at the moment," Lheem said.

The company is also on track to launch the 'twin small car' by October next year, he said.

"The pilot production and testing is on. We have shipped about 100 units produced from the Chennai plant to Korea for further testing," he added.

Hyundai is working to give its premium hatchback Getz a facelift but no timeframe has been fixed for its introduction.

"Getz needs a makeover as it has been almost three years that it has been around. We are in the process of giving it a makeover," he said, adding a diesel variant of the model has also not been ruled out.

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