2015 Hyundai Verna Facelift, BMW i8 India Launch Today; Price, Bookings, Features and More

Auto lovers in India have two reasons to rejoice today. South Korean auto major Hyundai will present its much awaited Verna facelift to its fans in the country on 18 February (Wednesday) and the day will also see the launch of the new plug-in hybrid sports car BMW i8.

Hyundai Verna Facelift

Dubbed 4S Fluidic Verna, -- 4S stands for Style, Safety, Speed, and Sophistication -- the newest addition to the Verna line-up will hit the Indian roads with changes in its styling and features. Under the hood, Verna facelift will pack the same 1.4-litre diesel and petrol engines and 1.6-litre diesel and petrol engines.

While the 1.4-litre petrol engine is tuned to churn out 107 PS of power and 135 Nm of torque with a mileage of 17.43 km/l, the 1.6 litre petrol unit is capable of generating 123 PS of power and 155 Nm of torque and comes mated to a 6-speed manual and 4-speed AT.

Bookings for the new Verna is open n India with a down payment of ₹10,000. Verna facelift will rival Honda City, Volkswagen Vento, and Maruti Ciaz and is likely to get a price tag in the range of ₹7.30 lakh to ₹11.50 lakh.

BMW i8

BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car is powered by 3-cylinder, 1.5-litre, twin turbocharging petrol engine, in combination with an electric motor. The petrol engine generates a power of 231bhp, a peak torque of 320Nm and is mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox transmission.

The electric motor of the i8 is tuned to generate 131PS power and 250Nm torque, taking the total output to 362PS and 570Nm. The car is capable of attaining 0 to 100kmph speed in 4.5 seconds with a top speed of 250kmph; along with a fuel efficiency of 40kmpl. The car weighs just 1,490 kg despite the presence of a large battery pack.

The car will be brought to India as completely built-up unit (CBU) and is likely to get a price tag of about ₹2 crore. Previous reports have suggested that the car will be sold in limited numbers in the country.