2018 Hyundai Elite i20 CVT launched at Rs 7.04 lakh; priced lower than Maruti Suzuki Baleno

• Hyundai Elite i20 CVT is offered in Magna and Asta variants
• 1.2-litre Kappa petrol develops 83hp of power and 114Nm of torque
• Engine downsized to benefit from the new Indian vehicular tax laws

Hyundai Motor India Limited launched 2018 edition of the Elite i20 hatchback at Auto Expo in February. However, the automatic transmission options were not offered at that time. Now the South Korean carmaker has added continuously variable transmission (CVT) to its bestselling car in India.

The CVT transmission option is offered only with the 1.2 petrol engine and it is available in two variants. The Elite i20 CVT Magna and Asta variants are priced at Rs 7.04 lakh and Rs 8.16 lakh, respectively (ex-showroom Delhi). Hyundai has priced the Elite i20 CVT more affordable than its prime rival Maruti Suzuki Baleno. The CVT variants of the Baleno are priced at Rs 7.09 lakh (Delta), Rs 7.70 lakh (Zeta) and Rs 8.40 lakh (Alpha), ex-showroom Delhi.

It needs to be noted that the CVT option in the previous version of the Elite i20 was coupled with a 1.4-litre petrol engine. However, in the new Elite i20, the automatic transmission option is mated to a 1.2litre petrol mill. This is to benefit from the new Indian vehicular tax laws which favour sub-4m compact cars with engine capacity under 1,200cc. The 1.2-litre Kappa petrol develops 83hp of power and 114Nm of torque. The same engine is also offered in five-speed manual transmission.

The Hyundai Elite i20 is also offered in 1.4-liter turbocharged diesel unit with 89bhp of power and 220Nm of torque mated to the six-speed manual gearbox.

New Hyundai i20 Active

In addition to the Elite i20 CVT, Hyundai India also launched new i20 Elite recently. The rugged cross-hatch version of the Elite i20 gets only minor updates. The most notable addition is the new dual-tone Marina Blue and Polar White paint scheme in addition to the existing brown/black and white/black dual-tone colour options. The new colour option is limited to the top-spec SX trim. The boot lid gets a new black insert with Active badging engraved.

Hyundai i20 Active facelift has been priced at Rs 6.99 lakh to Rs 8.66 lakh for petrol variants and Rs 8.96 lakh to Rs 10.01 lakh for the diesel variants, ex-showroom Delhi. This essentially means Hyundai has not increased the price.