orean chaebol Hyundai has just given further notice, if any were yet needed, that it intends to keep its foot firmly placed on the accelerator pedal so as to maintain its forward march as the world’s fifth largest car maker (since July 2008). The company has announced that its all new challenger in the super hatch segment the i20 would make its world debut at the Paris Auto Salon on October 2. In the process it doesn’t want its immediate small car rival in India Maruti Suzuki to hog all the limelight with its next gen Alto which we had previewed on these pages a couple of weeks ago.
The i20 will be the second of Hyundai’s ‘i’ cars, following on from the chic and trendy i10 which has won much acclaim in India. And just like the i10, the larger i20 superhatch would also be built at Hyundai’s modern facility in Chennai, both for export and domestic sale, the latter to commence latest by October this year.
The Hyundai i20 is built on an all-new platform, with a wheelbase which is longer than that of the present-day Getz supermini. While more details or dimensions weren’t forthcoming, the i20 would be taking the Suzuki Swift head-on, armed with a petrol engine for India and with more usable space than its Japanese rival.
Like the others in Hyundai’s ‘i’ range, the i20 was also designed at Hyundai’s European Design Centre in Russelsheim, Germany. While the i20 may sport an all new platform and underpinnings, its styling clearly evokes cues from the present day i30 in the Hyundai line-up plus also a few from the existing Getz. The twin-creases on the bonnet, the almost Honda-like chrome grille, the teardrop headlamps and that large air dam on the front bumper continues the modern front end look in the new i-series (so named for the cars evoking the spirit of the “i-gen” or today’s youth). The character crease line just below the waistline and lower down on the flanks gives it a link to the Getz as does the C-pillar treatment. At the rear the i20 features stacked tail lamps to give it that individualistic look. The i20 should have quite a spacious interior and should come with generous levels of trim and equipment options.
There is no sign of a diesel in the India line-up but there will be an oil-burner version offered in Europe. This will also debut at Paris as the i20 i-blue. Powered by 1.4-litre CRDi engine developing 90PS of power and 220Nm of torque, this is mated to a brand new six-speed manual gearbox. Apart from being ultra frugal, it also has a CO2 output of just 99g/km, making it one of the most eco-friendly cars in its class worldwide.
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