Hyundai begins i20 exports to Europe

Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) has rolled out its first batch of export shipment of the new i20 for the European market. The car roll out was done from its new Sriperumbudur plant. The first consignment of 2,820 units will be shipped to the United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, Austria, Croatia, Spain, Belgium, Holland and Hungary. Managing director H S Lheem, said, “The all-new Hyundai i20 is set to become a best-seller in the Hyundai’s European range. We are proud of the fact that within a month of its world debut, it has received such a phenomenal response. In line with Hyundai India’s positioning as the global export hub for compact cars, we recently started the third shift of operations to meet the anticipated demand." HMIL reached the 100,000 export milestone in almost five years in October 2004. It crossed the half-million mark in March 2008 and will cross 700,000 in December 2008. For 2009, the company has set an export target of 110 countries; this increases its reach to Asia-Pacific (Australia, Singapore, New Zealand), Latin America (Martinique), Africa, Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Israel, Palestine) and Europe (Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan).