Korean carmaker Hyundai has ushered in a new version of its entry level car named Eon. The new version is powered by a 1.0 Liter engine and has been rechristned as Eon Magna 1.0. Hyundai has gained a strong footing in the Indian market across the hatchback and sedan segment in the country. The factors that keep a Hyundai a cut above the rest are – Reliability, style oozing designs, comfort and efficiency. The Celerio hatchback from India's largest car-maker was an instant hit right from the day when it was launched in India. The key factor that made it a grand success is the lucrative price tag for an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) technology that came from India's most preferred car-maker. Within two months of the car being launched in the Indian market, it reportedly crossed the 35,000 sales mark.
Prior to the 1.0 liter launch, the existing version of Eon hatchback in the country was powered by 814 cc that was mated to a 5-speed manual gear box and generated a peak power of about 56 bhp at 5500 rpm and peak torque of about 76 Nm at 4000 rpm. The new Magna 1.0 Liter three-cylinder engine generates about 65 bhp of power with 95.12 Nm of torque. The Korean car-maker has decided to come up with a bigger engine to deliver a peppier drive experience to the younger lot of buyers. The current version of Hyundai Eon delivers about 16-18 kmpl and the newer version is also expected to return efficiency figures of about 20 kmpl.
On the exterior front, the anticipated 1.0 Liter Eon hatchback shall not receive major design upgrades. The car may retain the 170 mm ground clearance, which is 10 mm extra than the Alto 800's ground clearance, this ensures a comfortable transit over rough patches on our city roads. Power steering may come as a standard feature in this hatchback. For the interiors, major changes are not expected on this front. The hatchback may receive slight tweaks here and there to make it look better than its predecessors. Based on recent update, the new 1.0 Eon Magna from from Hyundai has been launched at an attractive price tag of Rs. 3.85 lakhs (Ex-showroom, Mumbai).
The Celerio comes with EZDrive technology which is a comfortable replacement of the manual shift. Celerio claims to be highly fuel efficient and delivers an impressive 23.1 kmpl. The Auto Gear Shift system has no manual clutch and thus there are only two pedals. It is based on an electronic control unit which drives the precision hydraulic actuator to control the clutch engagement and the gear shifting. It also ensures that the gear and clutch operations happen at optimal timings. Some of the factors that are responsible for higher efficiency is the optimized compression ratio, reduced frictional losses, low viscosity engine oil, and re-designed valves and springs.
The interiors in the Maruti Suzuki Celerio is said to be intelligently designed to maximize space and comfort. The rear seats get 60:40 split option known as 'XpanDesign' for more luggage space. The cabin space is neat and has a premium feel too it. Moreover, the occupants get ample headroom, legroom and shoulder-room for a comfortable travel. During launch, Kenichi Ayukawa, MD and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “Given the congestion on Indian roads, the demand for auto mode is no brainer. Presently, cars with automatic transmission are less than 5 percent. Celerio will cater to a growing demand for vehicles with automatic gear shift at an affordable price.”
