With Honda City and Skoda Slavia grabbing a larger market share, new-gen Hyundai Verna will be looking to regain lost ground
New-gen Hyundai Verna is scheduled to be launched in India on March 21, 2023. Bookings have commenced online and at Hyundai dealerships for a token amount of Rs 25,000. New-gen Verna will be available in four trim levels, EX, S, SX and SX(O).
New Hyundai Verna is expected to emerge as a strong rival to segment leaders. It packs in a comprehensive range of updates, spread across exteriors styling, performance and safety. New Verna has also been upgraded to receive the greener E20 ethanol-blend fuel.
New Verna Production Starts
Being a global sedan, Hyundai sells the same sedan in some countries as Accent and in some as Verna. In India, it is sold as Verna. Until now, the spy shots leaked online were of Accent, which is the international-spec version of Verna. Now the first undisguised photo of India-spec Verna has been spied. Production of the new gen Verna 2023 model has started at the company plant in Chennai, India.
New-gen Hyundai Verna has sharp body panelling, reminiscent of the design typically seen with sports cars. It is based on Hyundai’s design philosophy of Sensuous Sportiness that covers most of the company’s new-gen models. Front section has been completely refreshed with a parametric front grille, sleek projector headlamps and sharp bumper design. The sedan has a chiselled bonnet and a full-width LED light bar.
Side profile is distinguishable with its classy fast-back design format. There’s a new set of alloy wheels, sharp character lines, body-coloured door handles, dual-tone rear-view mirrors with integrated turn signals and blacked out B pillar. The core philosophy of Sensuous Sportiness has been applied at the rear as well. New Verna will be available in 7 monotone and 2 dual-tone colour options. There will be three new monotone colours – Abyss Black, Atlas White and Tellurian Brown.
Inside, new-gen Verna is likely to get a refreshed dashboard, new touchscreen infotainment system and various other updates. ADAS features have also been introduced for new Verna. It could include features like blind spot indication, forward collision warning, forward collision avoidance assist, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic collision warning, rear cross traffic collision avoidance assist and driver attention warning.
New Verna performance
New Hyundai Verna will be a petrol-only model. That shouldn’t pose any major challenges, as the mid-size sedan segment will become entirely petrol-driven by March 31, 2023. As of now, only Honda City offers the option of diesel powertrain, but that too will be discontinued once the facelift City is launched. Other sedans like Slavia, Maruti Ciaz and Volkswagen Virtus are petrol-only models.
New Verna’s shift to petrol comes with benefits, as it gets a new 1.5-litre turbo engine. With 160 hp of max power and 253 Nm of peak torque, this new turbo petrol engine will be the most powerful in mid-size sedan segment. It will be available with transmission choices of 6-speed manual and 7-speed dual clutch transmission (7DCT). The second engine option will be a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol motor that churns out 113 hp and 144 Nm. It is mated to either a 6-speed manual or IVT gearbox.
As it packs in a comprehensive range of updates, new-gen Verna is expected to witness a hike in prices. It could be launched at a starting price of Rs 10 lakh. In comparison, Honda City starts at Rs 11.87 lakh whereas Skoda Slavia is available at a starting price of Rs 11.29 lakh.
