Hyundai enters Gurugram, Maruti’s turf, with Rs 2,000 cr investment plan

With a Rs 2,000-crore investment plan in tow, Hyundai landed in Gurugram with great fanfare, setting foot into the millennium city, which is known as much for its corporate buzz and urban culture as also for the Korean company’s archrival Maruti Suzuki, the company that set foot in the same city in the ’80s and went on to revolutionise India’s car industry.

As Hyundai formally threw open its swanky and mega corporate office in the heart of Gurugram — built at an investment of Rs 1,000 crore over the past three years — what surprised almost everyone was the presence of Maruti MD Kenichi Ayukawa at the event, which was attended by Haryana chief minister M L Khattar. “I am here as the president of auto industry body Siam, at the invitation of Hyundai. I do not have anything more to add here,” Ayukawa said.

However, for Hyundai, the entry into Gurugram in a bold fashion is no less than a signature statement and one that it is flaunting with aplomb. The company’s India headquarters has a total built-up area of 28,000sqft, perhaps the biggest for an MNC auto company, and has green elements such as 50kw solar panels on the roof top, 14 charging units for electric vehicles, and a 400sqmt ‘green wall’ with plants.

Source: Economic Times