The third generation Hyundai i20 will make its world premiere at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show next month
The Elite i20 has been a stalwart in the premium B2 hatchback segment even before the arrival of Maruti Suzuki Baleno and over the last few years, the competition has certainly increased. The arrival of Tata Altroz priced aggressively from Rs. 5.29 lakh (ex-showroom) shows how bunched up the competitors are and the Elite i20 is certainly facing the heat.
In response, Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is preparing an evolutionary update with exterior and interior changes alongside added equipment to stretch the Elite i20’s lifespan further as the second generation model has already clocked in more than half a decade. It will likely go on sale by the middle of this year and expect official announcements in the coming months.
Hot on the heels, the South Korean manufacturer has revealed first teaser image of a brand new model. Destined for international markets before the domestic debut, the next generation i20 has a more aggressive front fascia with sharper headlamps and integrated LED Daytime Running Lights, bigger radiator cascading grille covering the facade and a lower lip spoiler.
The fog lamp enclosure is more prominent with a new design and the pillars are blackened to give a dual-tone appearance. The chiselled body has sportier creases and character lines running from the edge of the headlamps till the rear. The chromed window line, sleeker black wing mirrors with turn signals, bolder set of alloy wheels are other visual highlights when looked from the sides.
The rear gets reprofiled and wrapped around LED tail lamps in boomerang pattern. The Hyundai badge is mounted on the tailgate and the high-mounted stop lamps as well as shark fin antenna can be clearly seen on the teasers. It must be noted that the teaser sketches often exaggerate the design of the real-world model and thus the next-gen i20 looks like a catch evolution of the existing hatchback.
We do expect the interior to get a major share of updates with use of more upmarket materials and Blue Link connectivity, digital instrument cluster and wireless charging facility in the top-spec variants. The dashboard mounted bigger eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system will be accompanied by automatic climate control system, six airbags and a whole host of safety features.
As for the powertrain, the next generation i20 will use a 1.2-litre petrol, a new 1.5-litre diesel and a smaller 1.0-litre turbo petrol. For India, the engines lineup could replicate that of the Aura with manual and automatic transmissions as part of the package. It will make its global debut at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show in March before entering international markets.