Hyundai to bring in three all-new cars to India by 2020
Hyundai started the year with the launch of the facelifted Grand i10, and the sedan version of the same is expected to arrive in the next couple of weeks. The automobile brand has also updated the Elite i20, i20 Active and Creta with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto along with new paint schemes. However, the company is gearing up to bring in three all-new cars to India in 2020 that are believed to play important role for the car manufacturer in the country.
Compact SUV
At the 2016 Auto Expo, Hyundai previewed the HND-14 Carlino compact SUV concept. The design theme portrays a sharper-looking SUV than Hyundai's current line-up and retains all the key design elements of a Hyundai, like the hexagonal grille for example. The Carlino looks butch with its angular wheel wells, trapezoidal character lines over the wheel arches and the boxy air dams. We believe the production version of the Carlino compact SUV will debut in 2018. More details about the Hyundai Carlino concept here.
New-gen family car
Hyundai will be bringing in a new-generation family car, and we believe it is the new-age Santro which debuts in 2018. With the new-age Santro, Hyundai will take on competition from Renault, Datsun and Tata Motors. The powertrain options that will be doing duty in the new Santro are the 1.0-litre from the Eon that makes 69PS/94Nm and the 1.2-litre from the Grand i10 that generates 83PS/116Nm. There won't be any diesel engines, at least during the launch. Hyundai will not only offer best-in-class safety features in the new Santro but will also offer a stronger impact-resisting structure as seen on Hyundai's new-generation premium offerings like the Elantra and the Tucson. More details about the new-generation Hyundai Santro here.
Hyundai will be entering an all-new segment with the Ioniq in India. It will be the company's first offering in the hybrid segment which has already been buzzing for some time now. Internationally, the Ioniq is available in three versions – electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid. We believe the hybrid model will debut in our shores next year. To position it competitively and price it aggressively, Hyundai will be looking at assembling the Ioniq in India, instead of importing as CBU. The automobile brand is looking at pricing the Ioniq between Rs 25-30 lakh, making it more economical than its rivals, the Toyota Camry Hybrid and the Honda Accord Hybrid. Hyundai believes that it can sell 100 units of the Ioniq per month, which is definitely an ambitious target for the automobile brand. More details about the Hyundai Ioniq sedan here.