Hyundai To Launch New Small Car With AMT In 2018

Hyundai has confirmed that it's working on a small family car with "contemporary" styling, which will debut with its homemade automated manual transmission in 2018. The new car will be larger than the Eon but smaller than the Grand i10 and prioritise cabin space to justify its tag as a family car. It'll get a new name and won't wear the Santro nameplate.

Sources close to Hyundai have confirmed that the small car will feature a 1.0-litre engine. This is the same engine that does duty under the hood of the UK-spec i10. The three-cylinder motor develops 66PS of power and 95Nm of torque, and we're expecting the power figures to remain more-or-less unchanged for the India-spec car. It won’t be a made-for-India product and will find its way to the Middle Eastern and Latin American markets as well.

Y K Koo, MD and CEO, Hyundai India confirmed that the hatchback will feature an automated manual transmission (AMT). On a separate note, we also have confirmation that the car will not feature a diesel engine. This does seem like a wise move, considering the fact that the Celerio diesel sank without a trace. 

Hyundai has traditionally priced and touted its products to be a notch above the competition in terms of build quality, fit and finish. The new car, most likely, won't be an exception and will be aimed squarely at the Maruti Celerio. 

Expect the car to have a price overlap with the higher and lower variants of the Eon and Grand i10, respectively. We're expecting the prices to hover between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 5.5 lakh.