Hyundai is launching its 2,000cc Elantra sedan in Pakistan on March 21. It will be launched at an online event.
An expert believes that Elantra could be priced above Honda Civic Turbo, which is currently the costliest sedan that is assembled in Pakistan.
Hyundai has already been assembling its H100-Porter pick-up truck and SUV Tucson in the country. H100-Porter was previously known as Shehzore. The company sells the imported Grand Starex, Ioniq Hybrid, and the seven-seater Santa FE vehicles too.
“I think if Hyundai launches Elantra’s 2,000cc variant then it will cost more than Toyota Corolla Grande and Honda Civic, making it the priciest car,” said Usman Ansari, an auto sector expert who runs blogging website Carspiritpk.com.
Hyundai has confirmed that it would initially launch the 2,000cc variant of Elantra, without sharing its future plans. Currently, no sedan with an engine size of 2,000cc or above is being assembled in Pakistan.
Ansari said Hyundai was positioning itself in Pakistan as a premium brand by pricing its cars slightly above its competitors.
“We have seen it when it launched Tucson (crossover SUV) and priced it above Kia’s Sportage,” he said. “So, I think they may do something similar with Elantra too.”
Ansari was critical of Hyundai’s strategy as worldwide Elantra is considered similar to Corolla and Civic at the most. The top Civic variant is priced at Rs4.7 million, while Corolla’s top variant, Altis Grande, is priced at Rs4 million. Ansari thinks the company may price Elantra above Rs4.7 million to attract the elite class.
