July 26, 2007
Hyundai Motor India
is coming up with a
‘first-of-its-kind’ dedicated
automobile terminal at the Chennai
port.
The company, which is the
largest exporter of passenger cars
from India, is set to tap India's
status as a global small car hub. The
planned dedicated automobile terminal
at the Chennai port is a step in this
direction.
The Chennai port facility is expected
to be on the lines of its Ulsan Port,
from where it exports half of Korea’s
1,500,000 vehicles annually.The export
terminal at the Chennai port would
cater to its total export target of
300,000 cars, which would be 50 per
cent of its total production, by
2009-10.
The company has plans to develop the
land into a dedicated terminal to
serve as an export base. It is
believed that the terminal would
basically cater to its export of
compact cars from India. The new
terminal would be spread over 10,000
square metre of land. It would have a
six-storey multi-level dedicated
parking yard for 6,000 cars. Hyundai
Motor has already shifted its entire
production of the Atos Prime (Santro
in India), its most popular compact
car, and Getz Prime, the premium
hatchback to the Sriperumbudur, just
outside the Chennai port.
When the port terminal gets
operational, it is expected to meet
the requirements of the yet to be
launched 1.1-litre new car, which has
been code named Pa. The car is likely
to hit the domestic and Europe markets
simultaneously in October 2007.
