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-   -   Decoding the Hyundai Creta's enormous success | 2nd-gen car sells 1+ lakh units in a year (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/234550-decoding-hyundai-cretas-enormous-success-2nd-gen-car-sells-1-lakh-units-year-2.html)

Its not like competitors DONT have products.

For example, the Nissan Kicks has a Turbo CVT with the most powerful engine in the segment-but it doesn't have a top-end variant with the bells and whistles. Its unfathomable why the Nissan team hasn't even thought of it- it could be highly competitive with the Seltos/Creta mid-upper variants.

Renault has a top-end Turbo CVT variant in the Duster-but they haven't updated the Duster itself in the last decade.

Mahindra didn't try to bring a regular XUV300 (4m plus) that would have been an instant success and a superior car in some ways to the Korean cousins.

And the less said about Honda and its forever-in-wait-HRV , the better.

No wonder there are long wait periods for the Creta.

My friend who isn't on t-bhp bought Creta because "how it looks". I stared at him blankly.

Even thought opinion about new gen Creta's looks is generally negative around here, I suspect a lot of people are actually buying it for its strange, alien-ish looks that go against conventions.

Looks are a subjective matter. After about 6 months of ownership, I'd say the looks are "unconventional" and futuristic more than ugly . I think the looks will age better than the Seltos traditional straight lines.

The Creta simply ticks the most boxes for any buyer in the 10-20 lacs segment. It has a good mix of everything : looks, features, gadgets, finish, etc., though not excelling in all of them. And this is the area where Hyundai biggerst competitor,MS,strangely doesnt have a product. The S-cross and Duster are a poor compromise.

To top it, they launched another vehicle Seltos in the same category and made a success of that too while the competition was just thinking on the next steps.

Probably. And if not it will always stay as a wacky car.

And I didn't see it mentioned here but the car seems to retain its value quite well. Used first generation Creta's from 2017-18 were going for 11-12l~ when I was checking prices on OLX and other used market places.
I feel that is also one of the main reasons of strong sales. In general, Hyundais perform very well in used market (old Santros, for example) but Creta seems to be the king.

Blame the competition. Hyundai launched the car way back in 2015 and competition still don't have an answer.

Maruti, the only other major mass market player goofed up on S cross pricing on launch. It's cross over looks didn't help in a market crazy about SUV shape. I always wonder what would have happened if Maruti had brought in the Vitara instead of working on the Brezza or launch the Vitara with enough differentiation from Brezza. We'll never know.

Renault Nissan - Took a different route and decided to launch Captur / Kicks instead of updating the once popular Duster. I fail to understand why they did it.

Honda - Well, they will still be evaluating the segment when 3rd Gen Creta launches.

VW and Skoda - Neither of them could have challenged Hyundai with it's mass market appeal but they are just coming up with a competitor which is yet to be launched.

Tata and Mahindra haven't attempted cracking the segment yet. They have their hands full with other launches.

Ford - They didn't have the bandwidth to update the once successful Ecosport. So I don't expect them to challenge Hyundai.

Toyota - I guess they are waiting for Maruti to launch a product so they can simply rebadge.

Sometimes you get bored when you don't have competition. Hyundai bosses probably felt so and brought in an inhouse competition in the name of Seltos.rl:

Many of you echoed what I have to say.

When I was looking for a replacement, Creta did check all that I wanted:

1) Features (Although the first gen is spartan when compared to the 2021 model).
2) Space (Not big but not too small).
3) Decent boot space
4) Drivability - I say it again, that the 1.6 diesel engine from Hyundai is the most refined for the price. I enjoy this engine everyday.
5) Comfort/Road manners - Yes, it's no Ford or Volkswagen, but it does drive really well. I agree that the steering in some cars from Hyundai like the Grand i10 and Verna doesn't feel connected but in the Creta, they have sorted that problem to an extent. Passengers haven't complained of any discomfort during the long drives.
6) Fuel economy - Well, this wasn't a deal breaker for me but it does give pretty reasonable mileage (around 14kmpl in b2b driving conditions). Even managed to extract 21 kmpl once during my drive to Bangalore.

At this price point, no other competitors offered such a great package. That's one reason why they are still leading the charts.

But there are few things that customers don't take notice:
1) Expensive to maintain.
Although the general service is pretty reasonable (around 7k-8k), the parts are really expensive. But looking at it, I guess it's comparable to VW.

2) Poor after sales support.
Have pointed this out numerous times in the "infamous" thread here. If they know they can extract money, they will be behind you, but if it's an issue they will not even bother to respond.

As a car, the Creta is really impressive - But as a brand, Hyundai fails to impress!

I think where Creta excels is that "one car in my garage" form factor which can double up as both city as well as weekend car. This perfectly suits the needs of urban Indians who mostly need a car for 2+2 occupants.

While there are other cars that match up this size, the second big advantage is of Hyundai service network(maruti-like).

I still remember when First gen Creta got launched along with Maruti SX4(Which was overpriced for what it was) This led to creta winning that first round and credit must also go to Hyundai for continuously refreshing the features and trims etc.

IVT has been stopped temporarily by Hyundai due to the chip shortage which is used for the transmission, and alongside some other production issues. Hyundai is planning just to honor the existing bookings in the 12 - 16 months and hoping that the issues would get resolved by then and resume the bookings

2 weeks is not the case now, it is for sure 3 months, and the dealers give a good assurance that the car would be ready in 2 weeks, but trust me - it would definitely take 3 months as I've been waiting for 2 months for my ride lol:

Simply put, it is the jack of all trades and then, master of some.

Since launch, there's been no competition for the Creta, in that price/size bracket (ignoring the in-house competition from sister brand). Mahindra missed the bus by not launching the Tivoli in its original avatar, which would have been the best fit in that segment.

Creta does not have any viable alternative. Period!

They provide what masses want - feature loaded, good quality touch-points, variety of engine options. Then back it up with a perception of peach of mind (ASS, resale etc).

Majority of the people only bother about what they can see in the car - looks, badges, touch points. They are not being concerned about what's underneath, or how it drives.

So there goes the brouhaha about the safety, unstable body-shell, Hyundai-KIA providing inferior chassis in domestic market. Net effect of those news - NIL. Nobody cares about those beyond these forums.

We get the King we deserve!!! Long live the King!!!

I would say the guy on the right is responsible for that. He set the path for what the Creta is today. Just like the the Swift and Innova, the Creta is a brand itself. Even today many have failed to replicate this. While the Brezza and Ecosport are a segment lower, the harrier and XUV 500 are on a segment higher. This is a sweet spot in between with perfect dimensions and conveniences. Not to mention Hyundai's coverage in India. With the Alcazar around the corner, expect this figure to go way up !

Mea Culpa! Mea Culpa!

When the 1st Gen was introduced in 2014, I was one of those who scoffed at it's name (Creta or ExCreta?). I said this is nothing but Verna on stilts since it had the same engines, transmission & variants spread as the humble Verna & was nothing but a Jugaad. Little did I know how Hyundai had it's fingers on the pulse of the changing Indian car buyer's pulse.

Last week, I had dropped off my 10 year old Fluidic Verna for service & decided to take a test drive of the top trim Diesel (showroom didn't have Petrol). As soon as I got it, I realised why it has become such a huge hit:

1. Every touchpoint in the cabin oozed of high quality materials. No cost-cutting here.
2. The huge panaromic sunroof definitely brought a lot of brightness to the cabin.
3. The tech-laden touch screen, the oh-so-comfortable powered & cooled seats, chunky steering wheel just added to that 'upmarket' feel.
4. Having driven Petrol cars all my life (I also have a Fiat Linea diesel to compare), I expected the usual Diesel clutter. While the clutter was there, it didn't transmit to the cabin or the steering wheel as vibrations.
5. When I drove it, suspension was pliant, diesel provided enough grunt that I never felt the need for additional power & was easy to manoeuvre.


And unlike 10 years ago, Hyundai has service shops even in Tier 2 & Tier 3 towns in Karnataka. So, service & parts are not an issue to those living in smaller cities anymore (of course, Hyundai can't still match-up to Maruti but it doesn't matter anymore as ASCs are plentiful around & one is not more than 10-20kms away from one, at least in Karnataka)

Hyundai deserves this success for catering to all categories. There's not one product from competing companies with the variant spread as Creta. (XUV 300 could have been a contender but Mahindra insists that Indians don't need a proper Automatics)

Which is what's surprising me because even in Bangalore's stop and go traffic over the last 2 days I've been here the mileage on the 1.5 NA petrol's screen hasn't dipped below 14.6 kmpl with ac on at all times. Just drove from Hebbal to Electronic City through narrow bylanes(thanks Gmaps) and via Silk Board about an hour ago and the digital screen said I drove 44 kms averaging 16.5kpl with AC on. clap:

That said, in my hometown where roads aren't as level and filled with uphills, indicated fuel efficiency between short trips can show as low as 7.8kpl. :p

And yes the Honda City was almost a frontrunner in my shortlist but hills and unscientific speed breakers coupled with terrible road surfaces meant it had to be ruled out even without a test drive.

The new Creta might look polarizing in terms of design, but still manages to steal the heart of the middle-class and wannabe buyers as they find this look more bigger and matured according to them and in fact, my dad also found new Creta is big in terms of looks than the Seltos. And, Hyundai after-sales service is a big plus and you can find it in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.

Well, it's not surprising for me in terms of sales as the Creta is doing well since its launch and many of my close acquaintances had even bought 1st gen Cretas after the launch and still happy with it. In fact, my mom found the Creta(1st gen) comfortable more than our Innova as per her. And, one of our close acquaintances, who has a Creta Diesel AT since 2017, has run close to 1L Kms without any issues apart from minor accidents and they found the rear seat has much better legroom and comfort than the Seltos, which they purchased last month by retaining the Creta as well.

And, even after the people reported issues like brakes and other issues, the sales didn't get affected and the Creta continues to be the top seller within Rs.20L of budget.

Recently, I had driven the Creta Diesel AT as we are looking to replace our Innova with it and liked its drivability as well as fit and finish along with rear-seat space, which is miles better than the Seltos and has paddle shifters in Diesel version as well, which the Seltos misses.