ULTIMATE CREATION

We witness the birth of a new generation of the SUV that created the mid-size segment in India

- AFZAL RAWUTHER

HE MID-SIZE SUV SPACE IS A HOTLY contested part of the Indian automotive market right now. Most brands are targeting the high volume segment with new products and the nameplate that is synonymous with the segment is now due for an update. In fact, it was the Hyundai Creta’s success –more than four lakh units sold in India – that prompted every other manufacturer to throw their hat into the ring.

Close on the heels of the unveiling of the new Creta at the Auto Expo, Hyundai offered us the opportunity to have a look behind the curtain to witness it being made from scratch at the plant outside Chennai, and we couldn’t say no. The launch of the new Hyundai Creta is also around the corner and in what proved to be a surprise, we could actually trace the production of the car that will join our evo India fleet in a short while.

The facility at Sriperumbudur is an integrate unit where all of Hyundai India’s cars are made and it produces more than 700,000 units every year. Hyundai has its order books full and the Creta is rolling out in large numbers ahead of an expected launch later this month.

It all starts at the body panel workshop. Hundreds of rolls of stainless steel arrive at the workshop everyday and all eyes are on the 5400-tonne capacity press that bears down on the sheets of metal to produce individual body panels. There are two smaller 3400-tonne units too, but they are generally reserved for smaller parts and panels of the cars. The dies to produce these panels are made months in advance and trialled for a full three months before production actually begins. This, Hyundai engineers on the shop floor tell me, was to ensure that by the time production begins, the panels are created with a very high degree of dimensional accuracy.