Hyundai Elite i20 automatic to be launched during festive season

South Korean auto-major Hyundai is planning to launch the automatic variant of its best-selling hatchback, the Elite i20, in India during the festive season this year, according to emerging reports. The Elite i20 automatic has been rumoured for the Indian market since the arrival of the automatic variants of the Elite i20 rivals-- Honda Jazz and the Baleno. Both the Jazz and the Baleno come with CVT gearbox on the petrol variants.

Hyundai Elite i20 has been on the Indian roads since August 2014 and has sold over 2 lakh cars in the country. Currently, the Elite i20 gets 1.2 litre petrol engine and 1.4 litre CRDi diesel motor under the hood. While the petrol engine of Elite i20 can churn out 82bhp of power and peak torque of 114Nm, the diesel motor is tuned to generate 89bhp of power and peak torque of 220Nm.

In the automatic avatar, the Elite i20 is likely to get four-speed automatic gearbox. Previous reports had said that Hyundai may also consider launching the Elite i20 automatic with a new petrol engine. The company is said to be considering a 1.4-litre petrol engine for the Elite i20 hatchback in India.

There have also been reports that Hyundai is working on the facelift version of its Elite i20 hatchback. The facelifted avatar of the Elite i20 would be launched in India in 2017 and is likely to be priced slightly higher than the current model. The changes in the new avatar of the Elite i20 are likely to include new features like new leather seat upholstery, auto day and night internal mirror, and advanced driver information system.