The battery-powered Creta compact SUV will be produced in India by the end of the year, with local sales expected to begin in January, according to a statement made over the weekend by South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Company.

The company’s current Chennai facility will construct the Creta EV, the first of at least four battery-powered models slated for the Indian market by 2030. In addition, Hyundai is now modernizing the Pune facility that it purchased from General Motors last year. Once these upgrades are finished, the company’s yearly production capacity in the nation will rise from 800,000 to over 1 million vehicles.

Hyundai Motor India (HMI), the manufacturer’s local subsidiary, produced 766,000 automobiles in 2023, of which 602,000 were sold locally and 164,000 were exported. Its best-selling model, the Creta internal combustion engine (ICE), had about 180,000 local deliveries and an additional 22,500 exports.

HMI sold 459,400 cars in India in the first nine months of 2024, and it also exported 18,300 more.

By the end of the decade, Hyundai anticipates a considerable increase in demand for battery electric cars (BEVs) in India, and by then, it hopes to have a robust lineup of models designed especially for the regional market. Lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) batteries made by Indian battery manufacturer Exide Energy Solutions Ltd. will be their primary source of power. To increase demand, the business also intends to construct a nationwide network of charging stations at key places.