Hyundai Creta demands long waiting periods

The Hyundai Creta is a car that has genuinely amazed us by how complete a package it is. Not only is it a good-looking compact SUV, it is also extremely capable and comes packed to the gills with technology both in the entertainment and safety aspects. We also like how competent they are in terms of its mechanical abilities and of course how easy it is to drive especially in the city. Being such a good package then, it was only obvious that the Hyundai Creta would get a thumping response from the Indian car buying public....and it has.

Waiting periods for the Hyundai Creta have started to quickly grow from what was about three months a few weeks ago to a little over six to eight months depending on which variant you select. In the metros, the most popular versions as expected have turned out to be the top of the line diesel manual and the diesel automatic, both of which have a waiting period of a staggering 6-7 months! The lower variants and the 1.4-litre diesel of course have a slightly smaller waiting period since most people have opted for the more powerful 1.6-litre diesel instead.

Certain dealers, especially in Mumbai are also giving the buyers the option of paying a premium of between Rs 1.5-2.0 lakhs depending on the model to get early delivery. Although this practice hasn’t been found across the board and across other dealerships, it is sad that even in today’s day and age, the practice of premiums are still being exploited by dealers to make a quick buck.

There is good news on the horizon though. Hyundai has confirmed how they will soon be expanding production facilities to make more Cretas every month thereby dramatically reducing the waiting periods. So if you are a customer who wants a Hyundai Creta but is put off by the waiting periods, we suggest you book it in any case and wait as we expect this new production expansion to kick in by the end of September and waiting periods to be slashed by half.