Storyboard18 | 'Beyond Mobility' is in line with our progress for humanity: Hyundai Motor India's Tarun Garg

Tarun Garg, director – sales, marketing and service, Hyundai Motor India

Hyundai Motor India introduced its new brand campaign ‘Beyond Mobility’ which encapsulates the carmaker’s commitment and aspirations for the India of tomorrow. In an interview with Storyboard18, Tarun Garg, director – sales, marketing and service, Hyundai Motor India, talks about the genesis of the campaign, and how the South Korean auto giant’s future initiatives will be aligned with the newborn brand thought. Edited excerpts:

Q. Tell us about ‘Beyond Mobility’—what does it stand for and how does it reflect what your consumer is looking for? And could you elaborate on how your future initiatives will be aligned with it?

‘Beyond Mobility’ is a brand thought that revolves around three tenets: ‘Technology’ that is intelligent; ‘Innovation’ that assures an area of choices for our consumers; and ‘Sustainability’ for the betterment of our society and planet as a whole. ‘Beyond Mobility’ is in line with our progress for humanity where we believe time is the most precious element for humanity.

At Hyundai, we are a brand that wants to provide quality time to our consumers not only through our products but through our services as well. And we believe that these young trending millennials who are our consumers today, will be our biggest consumers of tomorrow, and will be looking for brands that are not only providing convenience but also personalising solutions while taking care of the society and the planet. This will be a key part of our strategy going forward.

In the coming decades, we will be working towards a sustainable future through efforts with product technology, network initiatives, and more. The value of the mother brand will become more important. The future of mobility is guided by our commitment to create a better society for all.

Q. Tell us about your plans on the electric vehicles (EVs) front?

In 2019, when EV was only talked about in India, we were the first OEM (original equipment manufacturer) to launch the fully electric SUV—Kona. We received some great responses. We have already announced that we are working on a mass market EV which should be in India in less than three years. We believe that to create such a car, we need to work on the ecosystem. And when I say ecosystem, I mean both the supply chain as well as the infrastructure.

We need some time to create that ecosystem. When we launched our corporate headquarters at Gurugram, we displayed the Ioniq 5. We already have products and technology at the global level. Now, it is up to us to see and study the market, to find the right time to meet market expectations from a point of view of the kind of products we want to have and, of course, the entire ecosystem that goes with it.

Q. This festive season was a good boost for many brands. How did it work for Hyundai and what was the kind of action around the festive season?

We are transitioning from tactical to brand. That is where the ‘Beyond Mobility’ concept comes in. We were on some premium TV programs like ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’. The good thing is, in the last two years, we have refreshed our entire product portfolio. We launched the Creta, the Verna, the i20, and recently we launched the N Line, Alcazar, and Aura. Across segments, we have been launching new products and we have seen some great traction. When you compare enquiries vis-à-vis last year, in the Navratri period, we saw a traction was up 15 percent. When I compare it with 2019, enquiries are up by 17 percent.

Unfortunately, because of the semiconductor chips issue, retail has become a supply driven issue. We are making all efforts to improve the situation, but, definitely, when it comes to demand traction, we are sitting on a pipeline of close to 100,000 customer bookings. The demand actually is very strong and we are confident that customers are looking at Hyundai in a new light.

The thoughts and opinions shared here are of the author.