Hyundai for Life

Words: Dipayan Dutta

Photography: Gaurav S Thombre

Vinit Rawat is a stand-up guy; he’s always ready with a big smile and a warm handshake. He loves his family and loves spending time with them on the road. This means that Vinit loves his cars just as much as we do, but being a chartered accountant he has a unique perspective. When people of our ilk put money down on some wheels, we want to get the most bang for our buck and things like value for money and depreciating value are pretty much out the window. For a man who knows how money works, things take a slightly varied perspective. Interestingly, over the years he’s always ended up buying Hyundai cars. Starting with a second hand Santro that he’d bought way back in ninety-nine. That got us thinking; what is it about Hyundai cars that makes customers always want to return?

At present, Vinit drives a top-of-the-line Hyundai Creta Automatic, which he bought with the specific intention of going road-tripping, “the North is still on my bucket list” he says. Which part? “All of it”, he responds simply. For the family, there is a Hyundai Eon which is his wife’s ride around town  and the Verna Fluidic design, is what he uses for his office run, meetings and parties.

However, the question still remained as to how Hyundai has always won Vinit’s favour. When we asked how he always ends up with a single brand of car; the stereotypical response of a well-weathered CA followed, “It’s the best value for money”. Vinit isn’t wrong; Hyundai, over the years has always given their customers all the bells and whistles which other manufacturers have scrimped on to save costs. Even more recently, Hyundai has surpassed their own benchmark as far as features vis-à-vis money goes and now give their customers those features that one would only expect from a much more expensive car, as standard. “The occupants in the car are always very well taken care of” Rawat adds in, again hitting the nail on the head as far as Hyundai in India is concerned; great value for money, a strong resale value and the icing on the cake is that extra tinge of the premium feel.

Now that’s the answer we were expecting along with Vinit’s fantastic barrage of numbers, figures and, we’re almost certain pie-graphs, which always lead him back to choosing the Hyundai of the lot. Look a little past that layer and what we found were the concerns of an honest family man. “They are after all safer than the competition”, he says. Reminiscing as to what made him buy the Santro to begin with he says, “That was the first time I heard the word ‘crumple zones’ being used in terms of an Indian manufacturer.” That was nineteen ninety-nine, almost two decades ago, when the rest of the market was still dabbling in words like mileage and comfort, Hyundai were pioneering safety. Then of course, there is Hyundai’s after sales service, which over the years has grown from strength to strength.

Being a busy man, he has little time, patience or for that matter, inclination to chase local dealers for repairs and servicing. He says the Hyundai service network that he’s encountered not only in Pune but on his travels almost throughout peninsular India, works like a well-oiled machine. Sanjay Hyundai in Pune offer exceptional and hassle-free service and all it takes is one phone call to get the ball rolling; from there on out, the car is picked up, specific problems are noted down and before you know it, it’s serviced and back in your garage before you’ve had a chance to miss it.

Over the years, Vinit has owned three Santros (a standard,Zip plus and a Xing), an Accent Viva, the old Verna, the Fluidic Verna and an Eon. The Creta is his latest addition. “I had to have it the day it was launched”, he chirps in with a big smile. He says the driving position is commanding enough to make manoeuvring through traffic a breeze, it’s economical to run (and if he’s saying that, you’d better believe he’s done the math and crunched the numbers!), and it comes with all the goodies and features one would want. There’s plenty of room for the entire family and their luggage, making it very comfortable on long drives. He even got himself the automatic to make his everyday commute between the offices and home that much easier.

In conclusion, Vinit is a shining example of how Hyundai Motors India Ltd. has won the hearts and loyalty of its customers and is a force to be reckoned with in the Indian automotive industry. Hyundai has achieved this by providing their customers with the best ownership experience that money can buy, exemplary service, making safety a priority, including top-of-the-line features and most of all, by giving you cars that make you want to drive, whether it’s on the open highway or through the crowded bustling city.