Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS, Hyundai i20 N coming to India this festive season: Report

The hot hatchback segment of India reportedly will see arrival of two new cars in the festive season. Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS and Hyundai i20 N will heat up the segment soon, reports Motoring World.

Both the new vehicles will join Volkswagen GT TSI, TDI and Fiat Abarth Punto range in India as hot hatchbacks. The Baleno RS is a sportier version of the regular Maruti Suzuki Baleno hatchback. It features a beefier front bumper, while the rear bumper will feature a dual-tone scheme with faux diffusers. Other styling add-ons include side skirts and new diamond-cut alloy wheels in dark shade. The variant has been confirmed to have the Boosterjet engine of Suzuki. The 1.0-litre Boosterjet engine is a turbocharged petrol unit that will develop close to 110bhp and 170Nm of peak torque.

On the other hand, the i20 N Sport is the product of Hyundai's N Division, the high-performance sub-division dedicated to develop sporty versions of Hyundai's regular cars. The i20 N is powered by the same 1.4-litre petrol engine sold in 98.6bhp and 133Nm tune overseas, which has been re-tuned to deliver 114bhp and 160Nm of torque. Power is delivered to the front wheels via six-speed manual transmission.

To make the i20 N Sport different from the regular model, Hyundai has given the car new 17-inch alloy wheels and side skirts. The front and rear bumpers have been tweaked with more muscular design. The car sports a rear boot spoiler and a stainless steel free-flow CAT back exhaust system with a large exhaust tip. The N-badges can be seen over the front fender and at the rear hatchback door.

Apart from these, Volkswagen will also launch the Polo GTI, which is powered by a 1.8-litre four-cylinder TSI petrol mill that can churn out 192bhp of power mated to seven-speed DSG gearbox. This high performance hatchback is expected to carry a price tag of around Rs. 15 Lakh.