ELITE i20

HYUNDAI HAS LAUNCHED THE MY2018 variant of its popular hatchback, the Elite i20 at `5.34 lakh and `6.73 lakh for the base petrol and diesel variants respectively. It features a 7-inch IPS display and touchscreen infotainment system and six airbags along with other key features that include new 16-inch diamond cut alloy wheels, dual tone exterior colours, air curtain, new tail gate and taillamp design. The hatch is powered by a 1.4-litre U2 CRDi diesel engine that makes 88bhp at 4000rpm and 220Nm at 1500-2750rpm and a 1.2-litre Kappa Dual VTVT Petrol that develops 81bhp at 6000rpm and 115Nm at 4000rpm.

The highlight of the launch was the announcement of a CVT, which will be made locally, with the 1.2-litre petrol engine. This CVT equipped version of the car will be launched in May and it’ll be the first time that the i20 will be made available with the choice of a smooth CVT. This CVT equipped version replaces the earlier Elite i20 Automatic that got Hyundai’s 1.4-litre petrol engine and a torque converter. With Hyundai having to import the earlier automatic transmission, the Elite i20 automatic turned out to be an expensive proposition, contributing just one per cent of i20 volumes. The locally produced CVT version should help Hyundai with the Elite i20 automatic’s pricing and should help boost volumes. The Elite i20 has been a global success with Hyundai having sold over 4 lakh units.