All about Hyundai i20 Car

Global car manufacturer, Hyundai Motor Company (SEO:005380), is going to market its upcoming supermini car, Hyundai i20. The small car is reportedly being produced in the Chennai car plant of Hyundai Motors India Ltd (HMIL). The upcoming five door hatchback car will be placed between Hyundai i10 and i30- which means Hyundai i20 is ranked above i10, but below i30. Though the five door Hyundai i20 is expected to launch in Europe this year, a three door version of i20 will also come to the market early 2009. Hyundai i20 car will debut at the Paris Motor Show in September 2008. The upcoming i20 model is developed under the code name of ‘PB’.

Image Source: autoexpress

Hyundai Motors India Ltd. is the second largest car manufacturer in India and it has a strong presence in the small car segment of Indian car market. Unlike predecessor Hyundai i10, the upcoming Hyundai i20 is targeted for global market, in stead of Indian car market. Hyundai i10 was launched for the A segment consumers of domestic car market, but Hyundai i20 will serve the B or B+ segment consumers of the car market. The new model is going to replace Hyundai Getz in the global market which has been available in the European market since 2002. However, both Hyundai i20 and Hyundai Getz will exist together in Indian market.

Hyundai is planning to make India its hub for small car production. Earlier this year, Hyundai Motors India Ltd set up a second facility at its Chennai plant, where Hyundai i20 cars are being manufactured. The South Korean company is now planning to manufacture 6 lakh volumes of car per year at Chennai plant. The company has plan to shift 30% of its production to Chennai plant by 2009. Besides Hyundai i20, Hyundai India is currently manufacturing European atos prime(santro in india), i10 and Getz for the global market.

Hyundai i10 was a major success for Hyundai Motors India Lts with creating huge response among entry level consumers. Even the company is planning to sell 2.3 lakh i10 cars this year in which 50 percent is targeted for overseas market. So, it is clear that the company is expected a similar success with Hyundai i20 as well.

Well, now let us go though the specifications of Hyundai i20 car. The car has a sporty look from the exterior and is bigger than its predecessor Hyundai Getz. It has larger interior space with higher-quality interior trim, and a flexible seating layout will also be there in Hyundai i20. These features will set it apart from its rivals like Honda Jazz, Ford Fiesta etc. in the market. Its seating layout is similar to that of Hyundai i10 model.

The hatchback of Hyundai i20 is reported to have been inspired by Hyundai’s premium hatchback i30, which has already been launched in Europe and Korea. Because of its hatchback style, the car provides bigger cargo space at the back to place luggage. Its hatchback is larger than that of Hyundai Getz car model.

In the front, Hyundai i20 features Corsa-style headlights and sporty round fog lamps. There are some other interior and exterior features expected to be available with Hyundai i20 model.

Vicky reported:

Hyundai’s new i20 hatchback is largely inspired by its premium hatchback i30 (already launched in europe and korea). i20 front is defined with a low slung grille, large headlamps and sporty round fog lamps. The steeply raked winds screen flows smoothly and merges with a novel tail section. Similar to Renault Clio, Hyundai i20 features an upright tailgate which means more room for luggage too. Interiors will be top notch with high-quality plastics and it will be comfortable with a more flexible seating layout similar to i10. If you believe getz is the most spacious hatchback, time has come to rethink! the new i20 will be offer plenty of space to live-in even more than the spacious getz.

The new model car will come with a new 1.2-litre petrol (kappa) engine which produces 58KW. Besides, a revised version of company’s existing 1.4 unit will also be offered. The diesel version will be powered by a 1.5-litre CRTD engine.

In short, Hyundai i20 comes with a range of powerful engines. Two types of engines are expected to be offered: gasoline engines ranging from 80 horsepower to 109 horsepower and turbo diesel engines with producing 110 horse power. So, power will be provided though a number of gasoline engines and a turbo diesel engine.

Autoexpress reported:

A new 1.2-litre petrol engine will spearhead the line-up, while a revised version of the firm’s existing 1.4 unit will also be offered. Diesel power will come from the current 1.5-litre CRTD. In the Getz, this unit emits 118g/km of CO2, which means the supermini is in band B for road tax.

Now, you might have already started to think about the price of the car. The price is not yet officially announced. So, it is not possible to figure out an exact price tag for Hyundai i20 now. However, it is expected that the car will have a higher price tag than that of Hyundai Getz because Hyundai i20 is bigger and offers a better interior quality than that of Getz. Some sources say that the price for Hyundai i20 would be around Rs. 5.5 lakhs. However, according to some reports, Hyundai i20 may have a price around 5-6 lakhs (15000 USD). If this is to be believed, then I think, Hyundai i20 will have a competitive price range which will not let its rivals take any extra advantage .

Volkswagen Polo and Opel/Vauxhall Corsa as well as Honda Jazz and Ford Fiesta are expected to be possible competitors for Hyundai i20. However, considering the features and cheap production cost of the new model, I think, Hyundai i20 could be a worth model with excellent features and a presumably competitive price tag to wait for. Now, let us see if Hyundai i20 can live up to the expectation and attracts the consumers of small car segment both in Indian market and global market.

What do you think about the success of Hyundai i20 car?

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