Hyundai busy developing i20-based sedan
HYUNDAI, THE SECOND LARGEST CAR manufacturers in India, have big plans for the country.
They recently made their smallest offering in the shape of the Eon, followed by the re-introduction of their fl agship model, the Sonata luxury sedan, and the unveiling of the new Fluidic i20 at the Geneva Motor Show, which will also be launched in India soon. The Korean giant surely has a busy schedule and the engineers seem to be working on one car project after another in quick succession.
The latest, according to a company insider, is that Hyundai are now secretly developing a sub-four-metre, entry-level sedan to compete in this rapidly growing segment. The new sedan is being developed for emerging markets and, in India, it will compete with established models like the Maruti Suzuki DZire, Tata Manza and Toyota Etios. According to reports, the sedan will share the i20 platform and will sport similar Fluidic design cues. The front styling will be similar to the premium hatchback’s while the rear design and boot incorporation could have visible infl uence from the bigger sibling, Verna. Pretty much like the transition of the Maruti Swift into the DZire sedan, but, hopefully, Hyundai would do a better job and continue to impress the customers with their more aesthetic designs.
Powering the i20-based sedan would be a range of petrol and diesel engines that currently do duty in the Verna Fluidic. We expect it to be powered by a 1.4-litre VTVT and, on the popular diesel front, the 1.4 CRDi is likely to hold fort, though in a slightly different state of tune.
It will be interesting to see if Hyundai offer a base variant with a 1.2 Kappa VTVT engine from the i10 range to avail of the excise benefi ts. Expect the soon-to-be-launched i20-sedan to be priced competitively between Rs 5.5 lakh and Rs 7.5 lakh.
