Hyundai first introduced the i20 premium hatchback back in 2008 and it has been a hot-seller since. It was powered by a refined yet torquey 1.4-litre diesel engine which is now discontinued. The other engine option was a 1.2-litre, naturally aspirated Kappa petrol engine. Since then, the Hyundai i20 has upped the premium-ness quotient with a host of segment-first features and high-quality fit and finish. With the competition now increasing, Hyundai will be soon releasing the third generation of the i20 for the Indian market. The 2020 Hyundai i20 will be sharper, angular and will also use new engines.
Major changes are expected to take place under the hood of the 3rd gen i20. The India-spec 2020 Hyundai i20 will most probably be offered with three BS6-compliant engine options. The Seltos’ and Creta’s 1.5-litre diesel engine, which also powers the new BS6 updated Venue, will power diesel variants of the third-gen Hyundai i20. The other engine option is Hyundai’s new 1.0-litre T-GDi turbocharged petrol motor which could be offered with a DCT and base variants could be powered by the 1.2-litre NA petrol engine.
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In terms of appearance, the upcoming i20 looks nothing like the outgoing car. Hyundai has revamped the styling extensively. The 2020 i20 looks sportier than the current model due to its lowered roofline, increased width and aggressive styling. The front still continues to get Hyundai’s cascading grille but there are new sportier bumpers upfront and at the rear. The fascia also gets new LED headlamps with LED Daytime Running Lamps and the fog lamp housing appears to be borrowed from the Elantra. The side profile will consist of a dual-tone paint scheme and diamond-cut 16-inch alloy wheels. The rear of the hatchback has been redesigned heavily with Z-shaped wrap around LED taillamps with a lightbar in the middle of the boot. There is also a rear diffuser which is flanked by rear fog lights.
As far as features are concerned, Hyundai cars have always been feature loaded and the upcoming i20 is likely to follow suit. Just like the recently launched Verna, the top-spec variant of the i20 will offer a semi-digital or a fully digital instrument cluster instead of traditional dials. The touchscreen infotainment system will also be upgraded with a larger size unit and BlueLink connected technology. The BlueLink connected tech will help you with location tracking, remote controls for the Air-conditioning and vehicle telematics. It will continue to offer Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and a wireless phone charger.
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Hyundai has had a very busy first quarter of 2020 with a slew of launches starting from the compact sedan Aura in January, the BS6 diesel Venue and the new generation Creta in March and the recently launched Verna facelift a few days ago. Hence, we can expect the new-gen i20 by somewhere around September this year. Hyundai is expected to price the third-gen i20 at a premium over the current model which retails between Rs 5.59 lakh and Rs 9.41 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). It will rekindle its rivalry with the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Toyota Glanza, Tata Altroz, Honda Jazz, and Volkswagen Polo.