2017 Hyundai Verna teased ahead of India launch expected in August

Hyundai Motor India Limited, the Indian subsidiary of Korean carmaker Hyundai, has teased an image of India-spec new Verna sedan ahead of its rumoured launch in August.

Also read: Hyundai to step up SUV game; two siblings of Kona in the works

Hyundai globally unveiled the new generation of Verna at Chengdu Motor Show in China in September 2016. Subsequently, the Russian-spec version named Solaris and Canada-spec version christened Accent were unveiled in February. India-spec version will also carry country specific subtle changes.

The teaser image faces of the car that comes with more pronouncing hexagonal grille and swept-back headlamps with integrated daytime running lamps. The international version already gives us a clear picture of how the new sedan will look like in India.

The large hexagonal grille will get chrome finish. The design of front bumper and fog lamps are similar to Elite i20. At the rear, the position of the registration plate will see a change in position from boot to bumper. The new tail lamps will be wide and thin compared to the current model.

The new Verna will get a 10mm increase in wheelbase and hence overall length will rise by 15mm. Width of the car will go up by 29mm. This also indicates new Verna will be roomier than current version. Interestingly, the increased dimensions will not add weight. In fact the new Verna will be lighter by 10 kg over the outgoing model.

The interior of the Verna sedan will be updated with features such as a new infotainment system, automatic climate control and many more. In its new avatar, the cabin is likely to get all-black upholstery. The layout has been inspired by the Verna's bigger sibling Elantra.

2017 Verna is likely to carry over the same engines from the current model. The Verna is powered by a 1.4-litre diesel and petrol engines, and 1.6-litre diesel and petrol engines. The 1.4-litre petrol engine develops 104bhp torque while the 1.6-litre petrol version will churn out 121bhp. The 1.4-litre diesel produces 89bhp, while the 1.6-litre diesel will belt out 127bhp of power.

Hyundai India is expected to start booking for the new Verna from July and the sedan will compete against the Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Skoda Rapid and the Volkswagen Vento in India.