Selling two different generations of the same vehicle at the same time is not an unknown practice in India. The Chevrolet Beat and Spark are the same products, just a generation apart; and so are the Maruti Alto 800 and the Alto K10 that are essentially old and new generation models. Hyundai too has been following this strategy to offer competitively priced products since ages in the country. We have the Santro, followed by the i10 and now the Grand i10 simultaneously sold in India, which are each a generation apart from the other.
Now, Hyundai is planning to use the same strategy in the premium hatchback segment where the company offers the i20. The South Korean car maker believes that there is room in the Indian market for a very premium hatchback that will be slotted above the i20. Hyundai confirmed that the development is under process for the new hatchback that will offer the luxury and space associated with a mid-size sedan, while carrying the attributes and the compact structure of a hatchback.
We however think that Hyundai will most likely launch the next generation i20 that will be positioned above the current generation i20, with both the models being sold simultaneously. While the company retails the i30 in this segment internationally, it will not be using the same nomenclature in India and will get a new name (Grand i20 anyone?) instead. The company also confirmed that the model will be priced under the Rs. 10 lakh mark and is expected to get a plethora of new features and probably new re-tuned engine options as well on the next generation model.
The hatchback segment enjoys 68 percent of market share in the country and is the favoured option by the masses. Hyundai will certainly be starting a completely new segment that will see competition from mid-size C-segment sedans in terms of pricing. This does show that the Indian automaker market has certainly evolved and is accepting new products at different price points. We do hope to see the choice of more powerful engine options on the next generation model that will also help differentiate better from the current gen i20.
Hyundai has been regularly testing the next generation i20 all over the country with this test mule spotted below in Kullumanali by our reader Arjun. The model is expected to get a newly sculpted design featuring more mature and toned looks compared to the current generation model, while the interiors are inspired from the 2015 Sonata sedan. Hyundai has been developing the second generation i20 at the company’s new test centre at the Nurburgring, Germany and the premium hatchback will be launched around the festive season this year.
