India's second-largest car manufacturer Hyundai has finally confirmed the name of its next small car to be launched in India, and it will be called Grand i10.
The car codenamed 'BA', which has been spied testing for almost a year, was revealed through a slew of pictures and video on Tuesday. The all-new Grand i10 is positioned between i10 and i20 and will debut in India in September 2013.
Hyundai's upcoming Grand i10 will take on its arch rival Maruti's bestseller Swift and Ford Figo, and will be available with petrol and diesel engines in the country. While the petrol version of the car will come with the 1.2l kappa engine that delivers 85 PS, the diesel version is expected to pack 1.1 litre, three-cylinder U2 diesel motor. With the 1.1 litre diesel engine, Grand i10 will become the cheapest diesel offering in the country.
"This car is built on an absolutely new platform and will be offered with the 1.1 litre diesel engine in India for the first time," said Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice-president, sales, Hyundai India. "It is very different from the current i10."
Although the company is yet to reveal the prices of the car, reports said that Grand i10 will fall in the same price range of Maruti Suzuki Swift. Regarding the other features of the soon-to-be-launched Grand i10, the hatchback will come with rear AC vents, auto folding external mirrors, 14 inch alloys, dual airbags, parking sensors, Bluetooth-enabled 2-DIN audio unit with 1GB internal memory, anti-lock braking system, smart key and a cool box.
"Hyundai definitely will eat into Maruti Suzuki's share, but the gap is so large that it is highly unlikely that Hyundai can overtake Maruti.... Not in the next 5-7 years at least," an automobile consultant told The Economic Times.
Hyundai's Grand i10 will also make its debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in September and will replace the current i10 in Europe and other auto markets. Hyundai, the world's fifth largest carmaker also has Eon 1 litre and next generation i20 in the line up for India.
Check the new Grand i10 video here
