Hyundai Elite i20 off to a solid start

The Elite i20 has set the cash registers ringing for Hyundai in its first full sales month since its launch. The all-new premium hatchback has sold 8,900 units in September and the company expects this number to rise with the festive season coming. As of now though, heavy demand for the car has caused waiting periods to rise to the tune of four months depending on the variant. Hyundai has received over 26,000 bookings since the Elite i20’s launch in August.

The company says that demand for the diesel is high but sales aren’t skewed too much. Sales are split 60:40 in favour of the diesel. With drop in petrol prices, petrol car sales are rising so it won’t be a surprise if this number evens out in a few months time. 

The new Hyundai Elite i20 carries forward the engines from the outgoing car. The petrol is the 1.2-litre kappa mill that also powers the Grand i10 and Xcent. It develops 83PS of power and 115Nm of torque. The 90PS/220Nm 1.4-litre CRDi diesel is also the same. The petrol is mated to a 5-speed manual and the diesel to a six-speed box as before. Hyundai isn’t offering an automatic option just yet. In all aspects, the Elite i20 feels like a better car than its predecessor. After upping the game with the Grand i10, Hyundai needed the Elite i20 to offer more than you already get on the Grand i10 without escalating costs too much, and to a large extent, they have succeeded with Elite i20.