For companies like Tata, the headache has increased. Launched in the Indian market two and a half years ago, Rs. 5.74 lakh compact SUV has become a headache for companies like Maruti and Tata. The car is Hyundai’s second compact SUV Exeter, which was first launched on July 10, 2023. Hyundai Exeter has crossed the wholesale sales mark of 2 lakh units in the domestic market. According to SIAM data, Exter’s total sales after launch by the end of December 2025 stood at 1,99,289 units. It was just 711 units short of reaching the 2 lakh mark, which would have been achieved in the first week of January 2026.
2 lakh units sold in two and a half years
It took almost two and a half years for Exeter to reach the 2 lakh sales milestone. However, Exeter’s first year sales were strong. 13 months after its launch, Exeter crossed the 1 lakh unit sales mark. In April 2025, Exeter crossed 1.5 lakh units in total sales, which took 21 months to achieve. Crossing the 2 lakh units mark within 30 months of launch shows that Exeter took 17 months to reach 1 lakh to 2 lakh units.
Competition with ‘these’ vehicles
The compact SUV market has over 20 competitors including Tata Nexon and Punch, Maruti Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Mahindra XUV300 and the latest i-Skoda Kilac. However, the Exeter’s main competitors are vehicles known as mini or micro SUVs, such as the Tata Punch, Nissan Magnite, Citroen C3 and even the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R due to its advanced design.
Hyundai Exeter Price
Hyundai Exeter price in India starts at around ₹5.74 lakh (ex-showroom) for the base petrol model and goes up to around ₹9.61 lakh (ex-showroom) for the top variant. The car is available in petrol and CNG options as well as manual and automatic gearboxes.
Prices vary depending on features like dual-tone color or Pro Pack. For example, the Petrol EX (base model) costs around Rs. 5.74 lakh, while CNG variants like EX Dual CNG are priced at around Rs. 6.87 lakh (ex-showroom). At the same time, the on-road prices in Noida start from around ₹ 6.18 lakh.
