Xcent launch is first of five new products from Hyundai

The car market hasn't been great. But, car makers need to keep selling. Not just to ensure sustainability for the company itself, but for its employees. If the car company doesn't do well, its employees lose jobs, and that's never a good thing. So, to tackle slow sales, Hyundai is going on a product offensive. After all nothing attracts buyers to a showroom like new offerings.

So, now that the Hyundai Xcent is launched, and at an attractive price point, it is sure to draw in buyers. But, one model can only do so much. And therefore, Hyundai is readying four more products which will hit Indian showrooms over the next two years. This take Hyundai's count to five new products.

Next generation i20

The new generation i20 will be next. It will make its international debut at the Paris Motor Show but the car is already testing in India. It will adopt the new Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design philosophy which will give the car a more dynamic exterior aura. It will be heavily revised on the inside too and expect class leading level of equipment on the new i20 as well. The engines will continue to be the same as the current car, and that's not a bad thing given the current 1.2-litre petrol and the 1.4-litre diesel deliver on economy and performance equally well. We expect better NVH and handling characteristics on the new car. The new i20 should be in showrooms in India in a couple of months time.

New Sonata

Following the new i20 will be the new Sonata. The car will be launched internationally by mid of this year and will then make it to India before the end of 2014. The current Sonata was only launched in 2010, so a model change wasn't on the cards. But now that Hyundai has evolved its Fluidic Sculpture design philosophy to 2.0, it wants the Sonata to reflect the same. The new Sonata will continue to get  the same petrol engine as the current car and though there's no official word on the diesel, the new Sonata might have been engineered this time round to hold a Diesel engine unlike the current Sonata which was designed solely as a petrol car. And not having a diesel engine has been the biggest reason for Sonata's slow sales here.

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New compact SUV

Hyundai is also working hard at getting its compact SUV to take on the Renault Duster, the Nissan Terrano and the Ford EcoSport to the market soon. This won't be a sub 4-metre SUV, and therefore will sport larger engines and with it, top the performance charts. It will be available with petrol and Diesel engines, which we believe will be borrowed from the Hyundai Verna. This should give the new  Hyundai compact SUV an edge over the likes of the Renault Duster. It will, obviously, be styled extremely well and will pack best in class features for Hyundai knows this is one area where it truly excels.

New affordable MPV

The MPV market might not seem as lucrative as the SUV class, but with Maruti Suzuki already doing well with the Ertiga and Honda all set to launch the Mobilio, it's a product category that holds potential. Hyundai realises that and is working on an MPV as well. This MPV will be the last to arrive. This affordable MPV will be based on the Hexa Space Concept showcased at the 2012 Auto Expo