Forgotten Hyundai cars & SUVs: From Terracan to Sonata Gold

Hyundai has completed 25 years in India and recently rolled out its 10 millionth car from their plant in Tamil Nadu. Hyundai’s first car in India – the Santro became quite popular. Since the Santro, Hyundai has launched numerous vehicles in the market but some of them are not forgotten. Here is a list of ten cars that Hyundai launched in India but many of us do not remember now.

Hyundai Getz

Hyundai launched the Getz back in 2005. It became popular among enthusiasts, especially the diesel version. The small, lightweight hatchback was powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged CRDI engine that had 110 Bhp of maximum power and 235 Nm of peak torque. It was a diesel rocket but the vehicle lost its popularity after the launch of the Swift.

Also read: Forgotten Hyundai cars & SUVs: From Terracan to Sonata Gold

Hyundai Accent Viva

While many of us remember the Accent and we can still spot a few of them on the public roads, the notchback version of the vehicle is now forgotten. The notchback version of the Accent was known as the Accent Viva. The Accent Viva was the first notchback in the mass segment and it came with a 1.5-litre diesel engine.

Hyundai Elantra 4th generation

The Hyundai Elantra is currently in the sixth generation in India. Back in 2004, Hyundai launched the fourth-generation Elantra. Most of us remember that model because of its weird-looking toothy grille. The D-Segment sedan did not become as popular in the country and then it was discontinued.

Hyundai Sonata Gold

The Sonata Gold was the most premium sedan from the South Korean manufacturer. Sonata Gold’s premium design was very much inspired by the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and it did look extremely luxurious. Even Shahrukh Khan promoted the Sonata Gold but it did not gain much popularity in the market. The Sonata Gold competed with the likes of Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord but Hyundai discontinued the car in 2005 due to low sales figures.

Hyundai Sonata Embera

Replacing the Sonata Gold in the model line-up, Hyundai launched the new Sonata Embera. It did carry a high-value price tag and failed to attract customers. The Sonata Embera also failed to attract buyers mostly because of its high price tag and it was discontinued from the Indian market sometime after its launch.

Hyundai Tucson 1st-generation

Hyundai launched the first-generation Tucson way back in 2005. It was one of the most expensive cars from the brand. However, the first-generation Tucson never became as popular as Hyundai would have wanted. The bulky looks of the Tucson made it look odd on the roads plus the price tag was quite high which did not help it to find many customers.

Hyundai Terracan

The premium SUV from Hyundai was the most expensive model in the country. Hyundai launched the Terracan with a powerful 2.9-litre diesel engine that produces a maximum of 148 Bhp and peak torque of 343 Nm. The Terracan came with an AWD system. It was built on a ladder-frame chassis. The SUV competed with the likes of Ford Endeavour and Toyota Fortuner.

Hyundai Santa Fe (2nd generation)

Hyundai launched the all-new Santa Fe in the Indian market as a CBU, which made it very expensive. The market was not ready for expensive cars from mass-segment manufacturers at that time. While Santa Fe was launched to take on the Fortuner, we all know that how difficult it can be to challenge the Fortuner in the Indian market.

Hyundai Santa Fe (3rd generation)