Hyundai Xcent Discontinued in India, Now Only Available For Fleet Buyers

With the all-new Aura firmly established in its respective segment, the Hyundai Xcent has now been discontinued for private car buyers in India. This was a long-time coming, and it became (unofficially) official when Hyundai Motor pulled the model from its official website, leaving behind only its fleet variant – the Xcent Prime. First introduced in early 2014, the Xcent became the Korean brand’s weapon of choice for the raging sub-4 meter sedan war at the time. It soldiered on strong and even made its maker some decent moolah. Coming from a reputed and well-liked brand, sales of the Hyundai Xcent soared in the initial few years. However, with stricter BS6 norms approaching and a successor already in the works, the days of the Xcent were numbered.

Over the years, the Hyundai Xcent gained massive popularity among fleet operators, and thousands of them continue to ply our roads to this day. This is why the Prime variant will continue to be available for fleet buyers for the foreseeable future. Initially, Hyundai India planned to sell the Xcent alongside its successor, the Aura. But since the two cars are essentially not that different from one another, one had to give way to the other at some point. When you take into account the drop in sales of the Xcent and public interest in the Aura gaining steam, it made sense for Hyundai to axe the former. For what it is worth, the Prime variant of the Hyundai Xcent comes pretty well-equipped right from the factory. This means that fleet operators don’t have to spend extra on adding everyday features from third-party vendors.

Some of the most important features of the Xcent Prime are its safety nannies. There is Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), airbags for the driver & front passenger, rear parking sensors, central locking, a speed alert system with a speed limiting function (80 kmph), and a fire extinguisher. Other notable items on the catalogue include keyless entry, front power windows, a cooled glovebox, manual AC, and a gear shift indicator. On the other hand, the all-new Hyundai Aura can be had with 15-inch alloy wheels, projector headlamps, smart key entry with push-button start, and a touchscreen infotainment system Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, cruise control, wireless phone charger, and automatic climate control to name a few. Its safety kit also brings a rear parking camera, manually-dimming rearview mirror, speed-sensing automatic door lock, and impact-sensing automatic door unlock functions.

Fleet buyers can choose either a petrol-only or a bi-fuel (petrol with CNG) version of the Hyundai Xcent Prime. In either case, both are powered by the same 1.2-liter four-cylinder Kappa engine. However, the petrol-only variant, with 82hp and 114Nm on tap, offers more power overall. When fueled with CNG, those figures take a significant hit (as expected) and drop down to just 65hp and 99Nm. Irrespective, a 5-speed manual gearbox is the only transmission available on the Xcent Prime. Meanwhile, the Hyundai Aura is offered with four different engine choices – including a turbo-petrol and a diesel mill, and transmission options include a 5-speed manual or 5-speed AMT. Ex-showroom prices for the new Aura start at Rs 5.85 lakh for the entry-level E variant, with the most expensive diesel variant costing Rs 9.28 lakh. In contrast, the Hyundai Xcent Prime starts somewhere in the region of Rs 5.35 lakh (ex-showroom).