If rumours are to be believed, the country's largest car exporter, Hyundai is planning to introduce an automatic variant of its Grand i10. According to reports, many company officials have confirmed the same and the upcoming variant could soon feature in the Indian auto market. The starting price for Grand i10 Diesel Automatic is expected to be around Rs. 7.5 lakh, which shall make it among the most affordable hatchbacks in the country. The automatic version of Grand i10 shall be equipped with a 4-speed transmission system.
As seen in other diesel models, Hyundai has managed to bring in automatic variants soon enough after the launch of manual one, with the example being of Verna Diesel. The automatic version of Verna comes equipped with 4-speed transmission system. Reports are suggesting that the same gearbox of Verna will make it on the Automatic Diesel version of Grand i10. However, the configuration of the diesel version of Grand i10 would remain unchanged as the car gets 1.1-litre U2 3-cylinder diesel unit that churns out 69 bhp of power and peak torque of 152 Nm. It is expected that the South Korea based car maker will launch the diesel automatic gearbox in the top two trims of the hatchback. However, the company has not released any information regarding the same but it is expected that the variant would may way in India any time soon.
After the launch of diesel automatic, Hyundai would be offering its Grand i10 in petrol automatic variant but till now an expected launch date could not be ascertained. According to industry experts, Grand i10 Petrol Auto might be launched at the upcoming 2014 Indian Auto Expo in February next year. Grand i10 Automatic Diesel could arrive in Indian car market by late November to early December time period. Industry experts are claiming that due to the lack of automatic options in hatchbacks, Hyundai might reap huge benefits once Grand i10 gets automatic transmission. As believed, the newly launched car of Hyundai might create a market for itself as it would be priced around Rs. 7.5 lakh.
It has been almost two months since Grand i10 was introduced in India with both petrol and diesel engine options. Although Hyundai offered all the engine options in India, it refrained from giving the automatic gearbox at that time. Now with the launch of Grand i10 Diesel Automatic, the company might rake in more buyers as the car has been performing well in the Indian car market. Talking about the fuel efficiency of Grand i10 Diesel Automatic, it is assumed to be around 22 kmpl as the diesel variant is giving away 24 kmpl as claimed by Hyundai. Also to mention, with this fuel economy figures, the Grand i10 Diesel Automatic would become the best fuel economical diesel car of the country.
