Amid all the speculation, the country's second largest passenger car maker, Hyundai India has launched its premium hatchback Grand i10 in the domestic car market. The latest offering of Hyundai is priced aggressively at Rs. 4.29 lakh for the base variant while the top-end version carries a tag of Rs. 6.41 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). A lot of hype was generated in the Indian car market prior to the launch of Grand i10 and as expected India is the first market where Hyundai has made its premium hatchback public. The car will now be heading for the global launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which is scheduled to commence from 10th of September.
Commenting on the launch of Grand i10, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Hyundai, B S Seo was quoted as saying, "The Grand is a world class product developed for the Indian market. We expect Grand with its excellent value proposition and its unique features, will serve wide range of customers in India."
The newly launched car of Hyundai is available in both petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol version of Grand i10 carries the 1.2-litre Kappa engine, which currently powers the existing version of i10. On the other hand, the diesel version gets a 1.1-litre U2 CRDi engine. As claimed by Hyundai, the new drivetrain is the smallest diesel engine offered by the company in India. The new technology of average bar-pressure and turbo charging provided in the engine is new and gives much needed power to the car. As far as the competition is concerned, Grand i10 will square off against the likes of Maruti Suzuki Swift that is currently offered in 1.2-litre K-series petrol and 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine.
It must be noted that the Grand i10 is slotted in between the popular hatchbacks i10 and i20. Industry experts are of the view that Hyundai has tried to fill the void left between the entry level and premium hatchbacks of the company. This new strategy of Hyundai has been appreciated by auto analysts as it can have a favourable effect on the fortunes of the company in hatchback segment. It is longer and wider, apart from offering a superior legroom as compared to i10. In addition, the car has an extended wheelbase of 200 mm than the current generation model of i10.
The premium hatchback of Hyundai has been designed on the lines of company's fluidic language, which is also seen on its models like Elantra, Verna and Sonata. Interiors of Grand i10 carries the dual-tone beige and black dashboard. Besides, the car ranks high in terms of providing comfort as well as convenience and comes equipped with a host of features like electronically adjustable outside mirrors, central locking and automatic air conditioning system. Grand i10 is equipped with some of the best-in-class advancements like push start/stop button, steering-mounted audio controls and Bluetooth connectivity. One of the main highlights of the car is the provision of rear air conditioning vents, which is missing in any of the same segment models.
It was learnt that the dealers of Hyundai had unofficially started taking the bookings for Grand i10 in advance, which further fuelled speculations that the car might soon be launched in India. Sources also told that Grand i10 was drawing a large number of enquires from potential buyers and the since the car is launched, the official booking figures are expected to be released soon.
