South Korean auto major Hyundai's facelifted model of Verna sedan has now been confirmed to be launched on 18 February in India.
Previous reports had suggested that the Korean maker will pull the wraps off its new Verna in India on 16 February. Hyundai has already started accepting bookings for the new Verna with a down payment of Rs. 10,000.
In its new avatar, Verna is going to take on the likes of Honda City, Volkswagen Vento, and Maruti Ciaz in the domestic market.
Expected to fall in the price range of ₹7.30 lakh to ₹11.50 lakh, Verna facelift is likely to pack the same 1.4-litre diesel and petrol engines and 1.6-litre diesel and petrol engines, with a five-speed manual gearbox for petrol and a six-speed manual for diesel. A six-speed automatic gearbox is also likely. However, the engine is expected to be re-tuned to deliver better fuel efficiency and suspension.
Visually, Verna facelift, which is known as 'Solaris' in Russia, is likely to adopt a design similar to its global counterpart.
India-bound Verna facelift is expected to see rear and front profile updates including sporty bumper with new headlamps and LED daytime running lamps, new alloy wheels with redesigned rear end, updated bumper and integrated reflectors.
Inside the cabin, from what we have seen, the style and design of new Verna facelift is likely to remain more or less same, except for simple additions like new touchscreen-based infotainment system. In 2015, Hyundai Verna facelift is going to be the company's first offering for the Indian market and is expected to be followed by Elite i20 Cross and ix25 compact SUV.
