Hyundai Motor India aims to sell at least 250,000 units of its Creta and new Bayon in 2027, as it looks to maintain leadership in the fast-growing mid-size SUV segment, according to its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Tarun Garg.
“Along with Creta and Bayon, we are looking at a volume of over 250,000 units per annum going forward. With this volume, very clearly, we can continue with our segment leadership in the mid-SUV segment. And 250,000 units is not a limit; it is a baseline; we will continue to grow,” Garg told reporters while launching the new Bayon SUV.
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The mid-size utility vehicle segment, models between 4-4.4 meters in length, including SUVs and MPVs, sold around 900,000 units in the last financial year, as per the data from the Society of India Automobile Manufacturers.
Hyundai sold close to 200,000 units annually in this segment in the last two financial years with Creta alone, and the segment accounted for close to 35 per cent of Hyundai’s total domestic sales in financial year 2026.
The new Bayon, which comes at a starting ex-showroom price of ₹9.99 lakh, is positioned between the sub 4-meter compact SUV Venue and mid-size SUV Creta in Hyundai’s portfolio. The automaker is adding the model as it seeks to expand in the segment with a second product, while Creta sales have come under pressure recently.
According to Garg, the segment’s size and growth can support more than one Hyundai model. When asked about having multiple models in one category, he said: “It depends on the size of the segment. If there is an opportunity, then why not?” Hyundai previously had only the Creta in this segment, compared with three models from Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Victoris and Ertiga and two from Tata Motors — Curvv and Sierra.
Creta sales fell over 9 per cent year-on-year to 89,727 units in the first six months of this financial year 2027, while the industry’s segment volume jumped over 50 per cent. Garg cited limited supplies of diesel models to the market as a reason, saying the diesel variant of Creta has a waiting period of more than one month.
“The Bayon matters for Hyundai. It is the company’s first new nameplate in the midsize SUV segment since the Creta in 2015. The goal is clear: win incremental buyers instead of shuffling them between Hyundai’s own models,” said Gaurav Vangaal, Associate Director for Light Vehicle Production Forecasting at Mobility Global. “That won’t be easy. The segment is brutal, and every major carmaker is fighting for the same customer.” Meanwhile, Bayon’s powertrain will be limited to just petrol and CNG, with no plans for a diesel or electric variant. “We believe very strongly that based on our market research, this is a segment where the maximum sales are going to come from petrol,” Garg said.
He noted that offering every powertrain in one model could confuse customers and make the range harder to manage. Diesel would remain part of Hyundai’s wider product line-up, particularly in models where buyers seek its initial torque, he said.
Hyundai will manufacture Bayon at its Chennai plant. He said the model will help raise utilisation at the plant after the production of Venue was moved to Pune. With Bayon, the automaker now has 10 models in its portfolio with six SUVs, two sedans and two hatchbacks across multiple diesel, petrol and CNG and electric offerings.
In May 2025, Hyundai Motor announced plans to launch 26 models in India by the end of this decade. This will include 20 ICE (internal combustion engine)vehicles and six EVs, comprising a mix of all-new models, full model changes, and product enhancements to its existing portfolio.
South Korean parent company Hyundai Motor Company recently committed USD 15.5 billion investment in India by 2032.
