The upcoming Hyundai i20 will be the first premium hatchback that will offer a diesel-automatic combination and also one among the two hatchbacks in India.
Hyundai is going to launch the new generation i20 in India by the second half of this year. Earlier, it was supposed to be launched in June but due to the pandemic, the launch has been delayed. However, Hyundai started its road testing a couple of months earlier and we already have a couple of spy shots of it.
With a completely new design, the 2020 Hyundai i20 will also get many major upgrades. It will get a new 1.5 Litre diesel engine which is a detuned version of Seltos’s engine. The engine also came on Venue and will produce around 99 BHP and 220 Nm of peak torque. A 1.0 Litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine producing 100 BHP will also come onboard.
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The existing 1.2 Litre petrol engine that produces 83 PS, will be retained. After two new engines, the i20 will also get three new gearbox options. A 5-speed manual gearbox will come as standard with the petrol variants whereas the diesel ones will go with a 6-speed MT. A 6-speed AT for petrol and diesel will come as an option. Lastly, the turbo petrol will get a 6-speed MT and 7-speed DSG gearbox.
Interestingly, the Hyundai i20 will be the first hatchback in its segment to offer a diesel engine with an automatic gearbox. And the other one in the whole wide hatchback industry to offer one is the Grand i10 Nios. While there were a couple of diesel-automatic options earlier, but due to the BS6 norms, there are no more.
Even now, not many SUVs and sedans offer a diesel-automatic option. In the case of Hyundai, even Venue does not offer this combination. With Grand i10 Nios, you have diesel-AMT option whereas with i20, you will get a diesel-AT option. This gives Hyundai a chance to increase the sales of its upcoming hatch.
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The diesel-auto combination could make the Hyundai i20 the priciest hatchback in India. However, the fuel efficiency and torque of a diesel engine with the ease of an automatic gearbox is an emerging buyers’ trend. Alongside, many hatchbacks only come with a petrol engine and do not offer a diesel engine itself.
