Hyundai to drive into new $100-mn office that will keep Delhi pollution out

Korean carmaker Hyundai, the second-biggest player in the Indian market, will drive into a $100-million (Rs 6.9 billion) corporate office in Gurgaon. The two-acre office complex on the outskirts of Delhi is under construction and will be home to about eight hundred company executives from early 2020.

"It was a dream to have our own corporate office as we complete two decades here in India... We will shift to the new office in January 2020. It is our commitment to the Indian market and to our workforce here. We want Hyundai to be a great place to work," Y K Koo, managing director and chief executive officer at Hyundai Motor India, told Business Standard. The carmaker, which has close to a sixteen per cent share in the domestic market, has been operating from rented premises all this while.

It currently operates from a 60,000-sq ft office in Delhi's Jasola area spread over three floors. The new office will have six floors and four levels of basement parking, with facilities to charge electric vehicles. The ground floor of the complex will have a brand centre displaying the company's product line-up and its heritage, along with its future concepts. The building will have an auditorium with a seating capacity for over 200 people to host events and product launches. A fitness centre and large cafeteria will also be established for the employees.

Special care is being given to air purification and the building will be equipped with a three-stage HEPA (High-efficiency particulate air) air filter system. "Even in December, the air here is so polluted. We want our employees to breathe fresh air," Koo said.

The tender for the construction of this building has been awarded to Hyundai Engineering and Construction, a group company. Koo declined to share details about the money spent on the acquisition of land but it was reported that it was bought at an e-auction from HUDA for Rs 2.05 billion. This means another Rs 5 billion is being spent on building the office complex and facilities.

Gurgaon is home to corporate offices of leading automobile brands operating in the country -- such as Eicher, BMW, Ford, Renault, Nissan, and Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India. Hyundai's sister concern, Kia, which will launch its first vehicle here next year, has also chosen Gurgaon for its India headquarters.

Hyundai entered India in 1996 and launched its first car, the Santro, in the year 1998. Marking its twenty years in India, the company last week launched a campaign to connect with customers of its first products, such as the Santro and Accent. Today, India is the third-biggest market for the carmaker after China and US. Besides holding a clear No 2 position in the domestic market, Hyundai is also the second-biggest car exporter from the country. The company sold 536,241 cars in the domestic market during FY18 and shipped 153,942 units to export destinations.