NEW DELHI: Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) on Wednesday said it has commenced export shipments through railways mode, with the dispatch of the first consignment of 125 cars going to Nepal.
The first export consignment was flagged-off from the Walajabad Railway hub near the company's Irungattukottai-based production facility outside Chennai, the auto major said in a statement.
The train will reach the India-Nepal border at Nautanwa near the border town of Sonauli, from where the last-mile delivery will be through the roadways owing to the topography of Nepal, it added.
The overall on-road movement time is expected to reduce from 8 days to 5 days, bringing the cars faster and more eco-friendly manner to the customers, the company said.
"As a progressive OEM, all our production processes follow green practices for the conservation of natural resources. To further enhance our initiatives, we have commenced our first-ever eco-friendly exports operations through Railways by dispatching 125 cars in 25 rakes in this first consignment to Nepal, reducing Carbon footprint by 20,260 tons," HMIL Director-Production Ganesh Mani S said.
The company already ships around 14 per cent of its domestic car volumes by the rail route instead of the road, he added. HMIL exports to over 88 countries from its Chennai facility. It has already surpassed the 30 lakh vehicle export milestone last year.