[ph03n!x]

i20 in India by November, and in the international markets early next year??!

South Korean automaker Hyundai would be launching their brand new model i20 in the Indian market next month. This model is coming to Indian market next month. Hyundai would be launching this model in their other international markets early next year.

Hyundai is already manufacturing their mini i10 model in India and it is exported to other markets from here.

In Europe, this model is likely to get as many as seven engine options. In India we are however only likely to get two options.

It is going to be more expensive than their existing Getz but would have newer technology and better engines.

Source: Hyundai i20 in India next month

Korean major Hyundai was one of the most upbeat of car makers displaying its wares at Paris and against all expectations genuinely merited this fact of life among visions of downtrends and gloomy sales revolving al around North America and Europe.

The Korean chaebol had no less than six spanking new models on display, all of them production oriented and none of them more important to India (and to Europe) as the i20 supermini. Times Zigwheels was the first to have revealed the look of this fresh new large hatch but here it was for the first time in the flesh and looking contemporarily chic and fresh.

The third of Hyundai's ithemed cars (after the i40 and the i10), this is surely the supermini to top them all at least in the Indian context. Packing in an overwhelming modicum of European style with clean chiselled lines and swoopily curved creases that add much needed visual character, it would be galling to just suggest that the i20is only about style and turnout.

The fact that its maker is dovetailing all its efforts in the small car class with European build, specs and dynamics to go with the looks and the packaging is manifest in this tiny package which effectively replaces the Getz supermini in Europe. This however wouldn't be the case in India, where the duo would reside – happily it seems for HMIL – at both ends of the B-segment.

I like the look of the i20, seemingly much prettier than the Getz and surely much cuddly than Suzuki's much acclaimed Swift. However the i20 is a larger car and this has to do with it being built from the ground up using a completely new platform that was created specifically to allow Hyundai to move into Europe's cut-throat supermini segment.

Built on a 2525mm wheelbase helps endow the i20 with a generous passenger cabin, surely the strength of the car along with its style and packaging of course.

As seen with the i10 already in this country, the turnout and the cabin treatment are very good for this class of car and for sure in Europe the trim and equipment levels are certainly class matching. This of course translates to great value considering the price it would be pegged at against its European rivals.

The handiwork of Hyundai's European technical centre at Russelsheim (where Opel is based), the car has been tailored to deliver a Eurospec dynamic ability and tuned for handling and ride quality which appeals to European drivers.

The highly rigid new structure is key to this with MacPherson strut suspension up front and a torsion beam rear end along with rack and pinion power assisted steering to deliver precise handling with a firmly damped ride.

Hyundai has learn the art of what appeals to the Europeans and proof if it is needed comes in the manner in which it has damped out NVH mightily on this supermini.

The i20 will debut in Europe from early next year with a total of seven engine options, three of them being petrol four-pots while the rest are all oil burners. To have such a strong engine offering is further proof of how intense the small car battle has enmeshed manufacturers into making those tiny but critical incremental offerings count as they bid to woo customers in a world steadily shunning large cars.

Source: Hyundai's i20 to hit roads next month- Automobiles-Auto-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times

I AM SO ELATED (...though the Economic Times report seem to have a few line of BS too )

[ph03n!x]

Oops.. The Economic Times report is two pages long - and I have pasted just the first page! here is the second...

In India though, the i20 will come with a 1.4-litre dohc 16-valve engine delivering 100PS at 5500rpm and a healthy 137Nm of torque at 4200rpm. Ho

wever the allaluminium alloy 1248cc Kappa unit as powers the i10 could be the joker in the pack because this unit suitably tuned and geared could be the classic power unit ready to do battle in our door-handle to doorhandle traffic. Hyundai is offering just such an engine in Europe and it surely makes the right noises on paper: a low CO2 emission level of just 124g/km and fuel consumption of 19.23 kmpl in the European combined cycle.

Europe however is a diesel market (overall car sales on the continent last year had diesels outselling petrol pretty comprehensively all across the spectrum) and Hyundai has geared itself pretty well to make the i20 slug it out with all comers.

No less than four engines are offered, two of these being 1396cc units with 75PS and 220Nm as the entry level version while a 90PS and 220Nm high power unit is the next step up. These two dohc 16-valve fours are joined by two 1582cc engines having the same dohc and 16-valve top end architecture but deliver 115PS and 260Nm of torque for the sensibly priced version while the top end offering delivers 128PS and 260Nm of torque.

If one cares to see how far Hyundai has progressed in its knowledge of designing and manufacturing contemporary common rail diesel engines, just take a look at what the 115PS version can do. Hyundai claims that this unit can return a class leading 115g/km of CO2 while sipping just one litre of HSD to go 23.25kmpl in the European combined driving cycle!

Factor in a zero to 100km/h acceleration time of 10.7 seconds and a 190km/h top speed and you can see how potent such an i20 could be in Europe, tormenting Fiats, Peugeots, Citroens and even some Seats and Volkswagens! All engines come mated to five-speed manual transmissions though there are also fourspeed automatics as options for the petrol engined models but the top end 1.6 is mated to a sixspeed manual.

Where Hyundai definitely will score and score big is in its generous equipment levels compared to the Euro dandies. The i20 will come equipped with six airbags as OE, active headrests, front seat pretensioners, the latest generation ABS plus ESC and EBD! And if that is not all, Hyundai has also fitted an advanced tyre pressure monitoring system into the package.

The i20 will be built at Hyundai's facility at Sriperambudur and with large orders already rolling in for the i10 mini, the company is commencing a third shift operation to handle the i20 as well.

The petrol offering that we will start with in India would be definitely higher than the price at which HMIL sells the Getz but as HMIL's managing director H S Lheem informed me at Paris: "Ours is a superior product offering and is not a cheap car to make."

How effectively it bridges this price sensitive conundrum that has forever dogged the Getz would be the single biggest challenge the company will have to address if it intends to make this brilliant car a success on our roads.

Hyundai's i20 to hit roads next month- Automobiles-Auto-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times

[prashanthyr]

I would say the last paragraph aptly sums it up - Hyundai makes some excellent cars, but apart from the Santro, they really havent got the pricing right on any other model.

[shatrughna]

Would you also be able to share some info on availability of any variant with AT tranny and Diesel motor and surprisingly , still there is no news on Verna.

[k_ajay]

Ok, it's good news that the i20 will be launched in India in November. I'm desperately waiting for it, with the wish to buy a better built car [than Getz and Vista] and in a hope that inspite of all speculations in pricing, I would be able to buy a petrol version in 6 lakhs on-road..

Else, I would have to settle for the 1.3 GLX Getz [or Vista], knowing it would be phased off soon, which is very unfortunate reality for a new car buyer [and that too a November model].

I'm still considering the Vista [only boot volume being a deterrent] but it looks like waiting period for Vista has also gone up [from 3-4 weeks to 5-6 weeks now].

Need a car at home from end of 1st week of Dec [personal reasons] and clueless which to get....

[harry10]

@ Ajay - If you want to buy a petrol you can consider i10 Kappa sports model as well. Its quiet good.

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by harry10

@ Ajay - If you want to buy a petrol you can consider i10 Kappa sports model as well. Its quiet good.

I could Harry, but I want a bigger hatchback. More specifically, seat 3 adults with good comfort in the rear seat.

Parents usually occupy the rear seat, so it has to be comfortable.. So, the Getz and the Getz has a lot more space than the i10 [i've seen so]

I am slightly inclined towards the Getz because of a bigger boot, but the Vista is not off my mind yet.. still undecided..

[GTO - Touring]

Originally Posted by prashanthyr

I would say the last paragraph aptly sums it up - Hyundai makes some excellent cars, but apart from the Santro, they really havent got the pricing right on any other model.

The i10 Kappa, Verna (after discounts) and Sonata (after discounts) offer great value for the price. Even the Accent makes for a decent entry-level sedan.

The only model that they goofed up the pricing with, big time, was the Getz. It was way too overpriced at the time of launch and was never really able to recover from the loss in image. The Elantra...well....was just a lacklustre product compared to the Octavia & others.

[k_ajay]

Members,

Update: I have had a test drive of Getz and i10 from Advaith Hyundai here in B'lore, and had told my sales contact that I will wait until the end of this month to take a decision on the Getz. [Also had Getz TD with Trident, and undecided who I'll purchase from]

The sales fellow called me today just an hour ago and asked me of my buying decision. I told him I haven't decided yet on the purchase of Getz, to which he said, "Ok, i20 sir?, which is when my listening peaked..

He said it will be launching next month, after Diwali with a 1.3ltr and 1.4ltr engines and both 'petrol and diesel' are launching.

Here's the problem: He does not have complete concrete info with regards to engine specifications, variants or on-road price, but has promised to call me back as soon as he gets it. I asked him if any model might launch with an on-road price of 6 lakhs and he said 'yes' to it.

But, I'd wait till a little before Diwali to get more concrete information.. He wasn't too sure of engine specs or pricing. But, it's coming in November.

[harry10]

Seems like as we are getting so many messages for Nov launch it might get launched in Nov only!

[TheHorse]

Originally Posted by harry10

Seems like as we are getting so many messages for Nov launch it might get launched in Nov only!

I highly doubt that date, i dont think we've seen RHD test mules of i20. If Nov launch is true and that too with diesel, that would a REAL surprise.
cheers:

[harry10]

Originally Posted by TheHorse

I highly doubt that date, i dont think we've seen RHD test mules of i20. If Nov launch is true and that too with diesel, that would a REAL surprise.
cheers:

Anything is possible due to the fierce competition with so many companies and models flying around. Good for us if diesel also launches with petrol!

[reppy]

I thought the i20 will come with the Kappa (1.2) since they'll be able to price it competitively then. 1.3 is not possible - it just wouldn't be wise from Hyundai. And knowing Hyundai, they'll play their cards right. The only thing that's not clear is the diesel pot - will it be the 1.5 from Verna or the new 1.4 Crdi?

[Gangsta]

Hyundai i20 - Review Specification Technology Price Launch India Diesel Petrol got updated with a new picture.

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by reppy

I thought the i20 will come with the Kappa (1.2) since they'll be able to price it competitively then.

Reppy, it's quite possible i20 will come with a kappa engine.. Globally, when Hyundai unveiled it, they mentioned a 1.2ltr 78bhp engine. Either the kappa engine is de-tuned by 2bhp [i have heard kappa is 80bhp] for suiting the i20 for some reason, or if not, then they'd keep the 78bhp engine for global requirements and fit the kappa 1.2 in Indian i20

I already find the 83bhp on Getz a tad inadequate for driving with 5 passangers, so anything under that for an i20 also would make it underpowered..

Probably, realising the base would be underpowered, is Hyundai releasing a 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 ltr petrol engines? Quite possible they know what they are doing...

Whatever it is, am happy i20 is coming in November. I am praying and keeping my fingers crossed, a mid variant petrol gets launched for around 6 lakhs on-road.