Honda Amaze has been quite successful in the Indian market in recent times. The sedan has been widely acknowledged in many of test drive reviews, which ended with a positive review at the end. Amidst all the hype and extravagance of automobiles at the recent 2014 Auto Expo event, Hyundai had finally revealed the name and first look of its much awaited sedan. The car rechristened as Xcent is said to be based on the i10 hatchback platform. The sedan car segment is loved in India for all the right reasons - more space, luxury, comfort, ample boot space, performance and safety, in comparison to a hatchback.
Honda Amaze has recently come up with a new ‘SX’ variant, the SX variant will now also include front dual airbags and antilock braking system (ABS), which is a standard facility on all diesel variants of the Amaze and the petrol ‘VX’. The Amaze houses the 1.2L iVTEC petrol mill and the 1.5L i DTEC diesel engine under its hood. With a maximum power output of 98bhp, the diesel mill returns a monstrous mileage to the tune 25.8kmpl. the car now has a total of 12 variants on offer i.e. E, EX, S, SX, VX [petrol and diesel], and S AT & VX AT [only petrol].
“Earth's Dream Technology” for Honda's engine has given birth to a new line of aluminium based engine under its hood. Safety of the occupants has also been given vital importance by the Japanese car maker. The car boasts of some of the interesting safety features like – Engine immobilizer, Front Seat Belt Pre-tensioner with load Limiter, Driver Seat Belt Reminder, WAVE Key, High Mount Stop Lamp, ABS with EBD and Front Dual SRS Airbags. Driving within the city traffic or cruising on the highway at high speeds, this compact 4 meter sedan has been designed to handle it with perfection.
The Hyundai Xcent sedan is available in Petrol and Diesel variants. The petrol version is powered by 1.2 Litre kappa dual VTVT engine, whereas the diesel version shall be powered by 1.1litre U2 technology engine. The Hyundai Xcent is placed in straight line of competition with the likes of Maruti Dzire and Honda Amaze. As per sources, the car may also be available with an automatic transmission apart from a regular manual version at a later date. Safety factor has been given due importance by the Korean car-maker. The production version is stated to be loaded with Anti-lock braking system, rear defogger, dual airbags, central locking, rear parking assist and central locking. Hyundai Xcent has been launched in the Indian market with an attractive price tag of 4.66 Lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi). The diesel version is offered at a starting price of Rs 5.56 lakh.
Speaking more on industry trend, Srivastava added, “The good news is that industry is expected to grow in single digit in this calender year and the company would do better than the industry. Last year, our market share stood at 20.7 per cent. We believe we will further increase our market share. We will do better than the industry.”
