Hyundai Motor India (HMIL), which saw sales of its best-selling model, the Creta, decline 10 per cent between April and September this year, is banking on its newly launched Bayon to revive growth, with the company targeting combined sales of 2.5 lakh units of the two models from early next year, a top official said on Monday.
According to the monthly report shared by Society of Indian Mobile Manufacturers (SIAM), HMIL dispatched (to dealers) 89,727 units of Creta in the domestic market during April-September this year as compared to 99,345 units in the same period last year.
“Creta is still the market leader with 1.70 lakh units sold every year. Obviously, when you have such a high base….many factors come in. That is precisely the reason Bayon is coming at the right time because we can see the (mid-SUV) segment is growing very fast. Bayon provides us the opportunity (for growth) and going forward when we see lifecycle updates, etc, we will have an opportunity in Creta as well,” Tarun Garg, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, HMIL, told businessline on the sidelines of Bayon launch here.
Powered by 1.5-litre Mpi Petrol engine and 4,245 mm in length, the Bayon is priced between ₹10 lakh and ₹18 lakh (ex-showroom) and will be competing with the likes of Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Victoris, Tata Motors’ Curvv, Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun.
Currently, Bayon will be available only in petrol while the CNG version of the SUV will be launched in January, Garg said.
According to SIAM data, the total mid-size SUV dispatches grew by 52.3 per cent YoY in the domestic market to 5,55,467 units during April-September as compared with 3,64,689 units in the same period last year.
“In H1, we had very good growth (overall) and I think the momentum will carry forward in H2 also, both for the industry as well as for us…industry probably will moderate to 5-6 per cent in H2, but I think we should be more than 8 per cent in H2 and that is why we believe we can catch up on market share as well,” Garg said.
Garg added that rural as well as urban penetration was constantly growing for the SUV form factor (shape), which was why HMIL’s SUV share was expected to grow more than 75 per cent in its overall portfolio starting next financial year, from 68-70 per cent right now.
One of the reasons for the decline in Creta sales was the limited supply of diesel engine, Garg noted. “We have limited diesel (engine) supply, so obviously there is a waiting period and we are trying our best to tackle it,” he said.
Published on October 26, 2026
