The all-new 2020 Hyundai i20 is expected to launch in India sometime this festive season
South Korean automaker Hyundai has already unveiled the latest version of its popular supermini (or “premium hatchback” in Indian terms), i20. The global-spec 2021MY Hyundai i20 will soon get a performance-focused ‘N’ sibling too; a first for the product line. Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor India began testing the next-gen i20 well before the hatchback made its international debut.
At this point, it is unknown whether the Indian-spec Hyundai i20 will get an ‘Elite’ tag as its predecessor (now available in BS6 format). Multiple sources state that the new Hyundai i20 will launch on our market sometime this festive season (September-December 2020). Had it not been for COVID-19 pandemic, the car would have debuted in India around the same time as its global launch.
2020 Hyundai i20 Active
In BS4 era, the Elite i20 was also available in a crossover-ish ‘Active’ avatar. Powertrain and other internal components were almost identical to the regular model, but there are claims that the Hyundai i20 Active had a wider torque band. Key highlights extend to rugged styling with black cladding, new bumpers, roof rails, projector headlamps (with LED DRLs), five-spoke alloy wheels, 20mm higher ground clearance (190mm), black/orange dual-tone interiors and aluminium pedals.
There is no news regarding a new-gen Hyundai i20 Active yet. However, IndianAutosBlog has shared a convincing render of an all-new i20 Active. At the moment, Ford India’s Freestyle is the only choice in ‘cross-hatch’ category. The Ford Freestyle is arguably the best option under Rs 10 lakh. One should not disregard it as just a raised Ford Figo since the chassis is tuned quite differently. Hence, the 2020 Hyundai i20 Active (if it happens) has a clear benchmark to meet.
This particular render follows the same styling principles of the previous i20 Active. It features a revised bumper configuration, new wheels, black cladding, roof rails, slightly higher ground clearance, etc. The final output was put together in different shades such as blue, red and brown.
Specs
Like the Hyundai Venue subcompact crossover, the new i20 will come with three engine options: 82bhp/113Nm 1.2-litre NA petrol (5-speed manual), 118bhp/173Nm 1.0-litre turbo petrol (6-speed manual, 6-speed iMT or 7-speed DCT) and 100bhp/200Nm 1.5-litre diesel (6-speed manual). It was only recently that Hyundai Motor India introduced iMT (intelligent Manual Transmission)
The outgoing Hyundai Elite i20 BS6 is available only with a BS6-compliant 1.2-litre Kappa four-cylinder petrol engine. It makes about 82bhp @ 6,000rpm and 114Nm @ 4,000rpm while mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Ex-showroom prices start at Rs 6.50 lakh. There are no significant improvements over its BS4 counterpart that was available in a 1.4-litre diesel format as well.
