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Hyundai begins trial production of Accent in Tamil Nadu

The Accent, the new car developed by Hyundai Motor India, a hundred per cent subsidiary of Korean auto major Hyundai Motor Company, is all set to zoom on the Indian roads next month.

After the successful launch of the Santro last year and the international launch of the Accent on September 14, the company has started pilot production of the Accent at its plant in Irangkattukottai in Tamil Nadu and mass production is expected to begin by early next month.

B V R Subbu, director, marketing and sales, who declined to disclose the price of the machine, said the car was positioned at the very top level as far as technology was concerned and the price would obviously reflect the technology.

He said the price of the product, which would be placed in the premier car segment, would also depend on the cost and market acceptance. The company proposed to manufacture about 20,000 cars a year. This would, however, depend on the price the company gets in the domestic and international markets.

The company had also started manufacturing of engines, transmissions and other crucial components of the Accent at the plant in Tamil Nadu and the new car, powered by a 1500 cc engine and Euro II complaint, would have an indigenisation level of over 70 per cent.

He said the car would soon be launched in the United States and the company would tap the export market, to begin with in South Asia, before moving to other parts.

The company had already sold 47,000 Santro cars by its first anniversary and proposed to sell 3,000 more cars by next month when the new Accent would roll out, he added.

UNI

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