[RSR]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

R.I.P. Elite i20 Magna AT.

Yep, this one is going nowhere at all! I thought the fools who decide the variants at Hyundai have finally started making amends by (re-)introducing side & curtain airbags on the i20 Asta(O) & i20 Active SX, but they've gone back to their old, nasty ways soon enough.

The introduce a Magna variant of the i20 1.4 AT and price it where the updated Asta(O) could justifiably be priced.

If I were a top executive at Hyundai HQ in South Korea, some heads would have been rolling at Hyundai India by now - the ones of those who were responsible for the Elantra SX(O) MT variants losing a bunch of features (including side & curtain airbags) compared to the SX(O) AT, as well as that of those responsible for introducing an i20 1.4 AT in Magna trim level instead of Asta(O) at this price.

[dark.knight]

The best way is to accept the situation and either make the purchase or stay a mile away from the product. I guess in this case people will be doing the latter.

The only thing that is making me defend this product is the engine, that 1.4 litre 100 hp engine is the best option for this car. I remember driving the old i20 Automatic once, never once did I feel like it lacked punch and I was testing it in almost every band possible, of all the almost similarly budgeted automatics I've driven (1.2 TSi Polo, 1.6 Vento, Aspire 1.5, Xcent 1.2) it took 2nd place decisively, the TSi obviously being the 1st. The Vento lacked punch and took a lo-o-ong time to respond to the pedal and the Aspire didn't feel refined or instantaneous in response. I remember that the gearing of the i20 1.4 was tightly packed and I think it hit 4th within 45- 50 kmph itself so its a boon for the city.

Ultimately, for someone with a generous budget wanting a sub-4 metre Hyundai car with automatic, this is a no-brainer and this will be the only group of people who will book the car. I'd gladly give up all the useless features like auto-a.c, parking sensors (not needed for a hatch) and auto headlamps for a solid engine though.

As for the TSi, it made great sense then and it still does. I test drove it with the intention to buy and came very, very close to it a year back.. but then the rear space, and that slightly hard suspension nixed it in the end

[jasjotbains]

Just checked on Hyundai's website - the Magna is priced at Rs 9.05 lac in Chandigarh and the Polo TSI comes in at roughly Rs 9.20 lac (source: Carwale).

Being a die hard Hyundai fan (despite my i10 being hesitant to rev below 2k RPM), I am wondering that Hyundai thinks that the 15K I will save in not going for a TSI with a 7 speed DSG and projectors and a long list of features, will give me immense happiness. I was so eagerly waiting for this car and Hyundai has made prospective customers look like idiots.

You always plan your product launch to make the competition look overpriced, and it seems Hyundai product managers probably skipped this basic rule.

It would be wonderful if Maruti launches Boosterjet with an AT and still keep its price under Magna AT. As mentioned in the post above, some heads at Hyundai India will surely roll.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Slightly Off topic-

But how can Hyundai make such a blunder on their official website?

[ashwin489]

Any idea about the 0-100 timings? Btw, I remember the last-gen i20 with the same 1.4l block took about 12.5 seconds, not too sure though.

[avdhesh15]

Originally Posted by GTO

For the life of me, I can't figure this one out.

Hyundai has always offered a wide range of automatic cars, with the Santro, i10, Grand i10, old i20, Verna (old & new), Elantra, Creta, Sonata, Santa Fe etc. all having sold AT variants. What's more, the previous-gen i20 1.4L AT was quite a competent car (link to review).

Clearly, the company is a believer of automatic variants. Why then is Hyundai's best selling car not offered with an Automatic? It's even started exporting the same!
Attachment 1462904
Source

Is Hyundai afraid of cannibalisation with the Xcent AT? That's just stupid as the Xcent is anyway selling a fraction of the i20. Do they want to save the 1.4L AT for their upcoming compact SUV? That's even more stupid as the compact SUV is still sometime away. Hyundai knows this better than anyone else - if you don't cannibalise your own products, someone else will gladly do it for you.

Can someone please decode this puzzle for me? WHY?

I have only revisited the opening post of this thread because finally GTO has been answered. They weren't stubborn, they are just stupid!

Hyundai should have simply replicated the Xcent AT which is at a 80k premium to the MT rather than bother with a new engine and a prehistoric gearbox. Shocking to say the least!

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Ultimately, for someone with a generous budget wanting a sub-4 metre Hyundai car with automatic, this is a no-brainer and this will be the only group of people who will book the car. I'd gladly give up all the useless features like auto-a.c, parking sensors (not needed for a hatch) and auto headlamps for a solid engine though.

Too many AND conditions involved Leaving aside the useless features, this variant misses most importantly on ABS. Given Verna's sales have dived down this month to 3 digits. You can expect the price gap to Verna petrol AT S variant which is approximately 1.5 lakh apart to further narrow down. This gets some of those features plus 1600 cc motor plus some practical boot space. And this should happen sans the waiting time that i20 has against it in the same showroom.

Not to forget the urban FE advertised on the similar specced UK i20 is 8.2L/100 km (12.19 kmpl) vs i10 with 7.4L/100 km (13.51 kmpl). So it isn't going to work out cheaper to run either.

Now tell me, how do I justify the money spent on the i20 Magna AT?

Originally Posted by ashwin489

Any idea about the 0-100 timings? Btw, I remember the last-gen i20 with the same 1.4l block took about 12.5 seconds, not too sure though.

According to the Hyundai UK i20 microsite, its a gingerly 13.2 seconds for the ton.

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

But how can Hyundai make such a blunder on their official website?

Good catch! Seems specific to mobile site. Desktop site seems ok.

[carwatcher]

I have following speculation wrt pricing strategy :
1. Overconfidence from Creta pricing.
2. Hyundai thinking himself as Toyota and following the Crysta example.
3. Hyundai banking on the loyal customer base of Female drivers.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by carwatcher

I have following speculation wrt pricing strategy :
1. Overconfidence from Creta pricing.
2. Hyundai thinking himself as Toyota and following the Crysta example.
3. Hyundai banking on the loyal customer base of Female drivers.

You are spot on. Hyundai cars have lost the VFM they once had. But Hyundai should not forget how it's once super-successful Verna nosedived to selling just a few hundreds. If they are not careful, Creta may also follow Verna.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

The only thing that is making me defend this product is the engine, that 1.4 litre 100 hp engine is the best option for this car.
Ultimately, for someone with a generous budget wanting a sub-4 metre Hyundai car with automatic, this is a no-brainer and this will be the only group of people who will book the car.

I guess even the 4-speed AT can be defended, as compared to 6-speed AT - especially when it is mated to a relatively smaller petrol engine.

Pretty much the only advantage of a 6 speed AT is that the engine will spin at around 1800 RPM @ 100 kmph - instead of something like 2200 RPM with a 4-speed AT. That is, on empty highways, the 6-speed AT will give higher fuel economy.

However, it is very likely that 4-speed AT will not "hunt for gears" as much as 6-speed AT, especially in city traffic and in ghats. Simply because there are less gears for the gearbox to choose from. Driveability in 4-speed AT will be better than a 6-speed AT.

[redcruiser]

Originally Posted by carwatcher

3. Hyundai banking on the loyal customer base of Female drivers.

Well that is something new that I am hearing. Is there any such statistical observations made in this regard?
Or is it just your ovservation?

[aravind.anand]

Is this some sort of Jinx for the Indian car market? Almost every single car that is being launched is over-priced these days, and unfortunately, some cars which are clearly under-equipped and also over priced, become chart busters. Hyundai is being extremely over confident and proud now, after Creta got lucky with our market. They are doing the same mistake Honda used to do

And, I don't really buy into the fact that this price difference is because the car loses out on excise duty benefits... The Ford Figo loses it too, and that with ABS, airbags and a bunch of other goodies and a 6-speed AT is priced lower. And the fully loaded Polo GT is a stone's throw away from this Magna with no safety features !

[Vid6639]

How is it that Ford can give a larger 1.5L engine, a 6 speed DCT box and more features for 7.65L that's 1.5L lesser than the Elite i20 and Hyundai needs to charge 2.5 lakhs more for 200cc more and an outdated 4 speed AT box in a car with barely any features.

Hyundai has gone mad on the pricing of the Elite i20 AT. People desperately wanted an Elite i20 AT but people are not this desperate to pay this ludicrous amount for the Elite i20 AT.

Infact if you pay exactly 1 lakh more you can get a nearly fully loaded Ecosport AT with 6 airbags, ESP, SYNC system and a whole load of other features vs the Elite.

The Polo and Jazz now seem reasonably priced which is ironic.

Honda can actually make the most of this but they are another sleeping giant these days. All they have to do is get the Jazz with the 1.5L City engine and CVT both of which are available in the City in India and in the Jazz export trims. They can really sock it to Hyundai and VW and give people an exciting option.

[naikameya]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

A classic case of burying a car even before it has hit the showrooms.
Even the guys over at Jeep India must be smiling now!
R.I.P. Elite i20 Magna AT.

Now we all no why Hyundai was not launching the AT. It would have been way better had they launched it with 1.2 engine like the grand i10. I know then it would not look premium, but it simply can't sustain this premium pricing either.

RIP

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Honda can actually make the most of this but they are another sleeping giant these days. All they have to do is get the Jazz with the 1.5L City engine and CVT both of which are available in the City in India and in the Jazz export trims. They can really sock it to Hyundai and VW and give people an exciting option.

This is very interesting thought. This combination might just provide the alternative to unreliable DSG. I always feel like someday I will plonk this 1.5 iVtec in my Jazz like frankmehta's CRIO i will have City + Jazz = Ciaz

[toofanwheels]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Now posted on the official website's "Prices" section:

For all their money, BHPian toofanwheels and the Shreenath Hyundai SA got it spot on (my apologies to both of you). The ex-showroom price for Mumbai is an eye-watering 9.43 lakh rupees!

A classic case of burying a car even before it has hit the showrooms.

Sir, please don't apologize. I am heartbroken for a reason....I am seriously in the market for an automatic (sedan or a hatch) and I have always loved i20's styling. I was extremely dejected when I read about this pricing and I strongly believe that Hyundai in another 6 months will not only reduce pricing on Magna AT variant, but also introduce a Sportz or Asta variant to prop up sales.

Even if it is a 4 speed gearbox, but if it gives me bells and whistles then I am sure many like me would still purchase it. At INR 10,70,000 on road Mumbai, its atleast 1.2 lakhs expensive than the much more spacious and feature loaded Jazz and much more underwhelming than the mighty Polo TSI.

Both these hatches will get a boost because of the splash by Hyundai ! Its a case of sales "foregone" to competition because of one's own stupidity for Hyundai !