Hyundai Grand i10 Sedan Launch At Auto Expo

By Ganesh

Updated: Saturday, January 25, 2014, 10:21 [IST]

Hyundai India will launch two new models at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo. The first model will be the updated Santa Fe SUV. Something that we told you about earlier this month. It is the second launch, however, that will make more noise. Debuting at the auto show on Feb 6 will be the much awaited compact sedan model based on the Grand i10 hatchback.

No one knows what Hyundai plans to call its first compact sedan model. One rumor has it that it will be wear the Accent nameplate. The popular, but aging sedan model that was discontinued by the South Korean automaker earlier this year. But we'll continue calling it the Grand i10 compact sedan till the name is revealed.

As the name clearly states, the compact sedan is based entirely out of the new Grand i10 hatchback. In other words, it is a stretched out Grand i10. This will be Hyundai's first entry into India's blockbuster compact sedan segment that at present ruled by Maruti DZire and Honda Amaze.

For the Grand i10 sedan to pass as a compact model it has to have a length under 4 meters. Considering the grand i10 already measures 3.765 meters the sedan should make use of all the available length.

Power for the Grand i10 compact sedan is most likely to come from the same two engines which do duty on the hatchback. These are the 1.2 litre petrol and 1.1 litre diesel engines. The petrol variant can also be expected to come with a 4 speed automatic variant, while 5 speed manual transmission will be offered as standard in lower variants.

The upcoming Grand i10 compact sedan will share plenty of parts with its hatchback counterpart, including interior parts. This will anale Hyundai to offer the Grand i10 sedan for a competitive price. A disadvantage, however, will be that pricing will inevitably overlap with that of the i20, which could eat into the sales of the premium hatchback.

We'll come up with more details about Hyundai Grand i10 sedan as and when they become available. So, stay tuned.