Apart from the milder i20 N-Line, Hyundai is also reportedly planning to launch a full-blown i20 N in India at a later stage
Hyundai i20 is one of the most popular premium hatchbacks in our country for over a decade now. The car recently received a generation update late last year and has been received well by the Indian audience despite carrying a hefty price tag. What was also heartening to see was the new i20 getting the more spirited and punchier 1.0-litre GDi turbo petrol engine.
Thanks to this motor and its updated styling, it is also one of the sportiest hatches to drive in India. To extend on its sportier side, Hyundai plans to launch i20 N-Line in India, test mules of which have been recently spotted in the country again. The latest spy shot is credited to Prashant Rajput and has been clicked at Faridabad in Haryana.
The N division of Hyundai is in line with popular automotive brands like Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen which have separate divisions for building performance-oriented cars under their respective brands of AMG, M-Performance and GTI.
The testing prototype spotted, however, belongs to N-Line which is a segment below the full-fledged N cars by Hyundai. The N-Line models come with a sporty powertrain and minute tweaks to its exterior and interior styling to accentuate its sporty appeal in addition to minor tweaks to its suspension setup.
Notable Exterior Highlights
The test mule spied in the latest image is partially covered under camouflage, although there is not much of a variation from the regular i20 that can be spotted. The only notable difference spotted is a twin-tip exhaust at rear. We expect the upcoming i20 N-Line in India to be in line with its European counterpart.
This means its exterior styling will incorporate elements such as aggressive front and rear bumpers, blacked-out side skirts, dual-tone 17-inch alloy wheels, an N-Line branding on the front grille and blacked-out pillars. i20 N-Line is offered in four exterior colour options namely- Aurora Grey, Brass, Phantom Black and Polar White. The last option also comes with a contrasting black roof.
Interior Highlights
Inside the cabin as well, we expect to see noticeable variants from its regular model in order to distinguish itself. This includes sporty bucket seats at front, N-branded upholstery, N-branded multi-functional steering wheel, metal pedals and leather-wrapped gear knob.
The cabin also receives highlights such as red accents on door pads and contrast red stitching on seats to further elaborate on its sportiness. The equipment in the car will be carried forward from the top-spec trim of the standard i20.
i20 N-Line Performance
Internationally, the i20 N-Line is available with both a 1.2-litre MPI naturally aspirated petrol engine and a 1.0-litre turbo petrol unit. However, the India-spec model is likely to be powered by the latter which pushes out 120 PS and 172 Nm of peak torque and will be exclusively mated to a 6-speed MT gearbox in this sportier iteration. As mentioned earlier, its suspension setup will be tuned for a sportier ride.
There has been no official word from Hyundai regarding the launch of i20 N-Line in India but we expect it to hit showrooms by the end of this year. It is expected to be priced northwards of Rs 12.0 lakh (ex-showroom).
