Hyundai, India's second largest passenger car maker, has explicitly mentioned the kind of plans it has for the auto market in coming years. In recent interviews, officials from the South Korea-based firm have spoken about how Hyundai plans to overtake Maruti Suzuki as the country's leading passenger car maker. And it is not just talks, the company has taken a step forward as it gears up to launch the Grand i10 hatchback. According to reports, the Grand i10 will be slotted between the current i10 and i20 hatchbacks. Also, Hyundai, with the launch of the Grand i10, will introduce in India its least priced diesel car till date.
Company officials have been pretty upbeat about the future prospects of the Grand i10, which will be more stylish and aggressive. Rakesh Srivastava, Senior Vice-President for Sales at Hyundai Motor India, was quoted as saying, “This car is built on an absolutely new platform and will be offered with the 1.1 litre diesel engine in India for the first time. It is very different from the current i10.” Sources have claimed that Hyundai expects to challenge the dominance of the Maruti Suzuki Swift by introducing the Grand i10.
In terms of specification, it is being said that the Grand i10 will come with both diesel and petrol variants. While the petrol version will be powered by the 1.2-litre Kappa engine, the diesel guise will feature a 1.1-litre engine. The three-cylinder diesel engine has been redesigned for a better performance through features like common rail injection system, turbo-charging and above average bar pressure. This engine is expected to perform well by producing low levels of noise and vibrations, which is much higher in other U2 units. Although nothing has been made official, speculations suggest that the Grand i10 will be priced from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 7.5 lakh (ex-showroom).
Hyundai has made a dedicated effort to ensure that the appearance of the Grand i10 is sporty, which would attract buyers. Revealed images show that the new Grand i10 will feature the new Fluidic Design language, also used in other new models. Notable highlights of the Grand i10 are steering mounted controls, automatic climate control system and Bluetooth connectivity.
Industry experts feel that the launch of the Grand i10 is likely to intensify the competition in the hatchback segment. Currently, cars like Alto 800, WagonR, Eon, Swift, Polo and i20 are among the most successful ones. Also, the Grand i10's introduction will give direct competition to the Maruti Suzuki Swift. Recent reports have suggested the Maruti Suzuki WagonR Stingray is going to make its way to the Indian market in coming times, thereby further increasing the competition.
