2 HOT Hyundais coming your way this year

After 2 successive blockbusters, the Elite i20 and the Creta, Hyundai has been cooling off for a few months. But with just 5 months to go before 2016 turns into 2017, the cooling off won’t be for long th0ugh. Hyundai has two major launches lined up for the Indian car market. One’s a XUV500 rivaling SUV and the other is a luxurious sedan that’ll aim to unseat the Corolla.

Tucson

Just over a decade after it launched the Tucson soft roader here, Hyundai is all set to reintroduce the latest version of this SUV. The all-new Tucson, which follows the South Korean automaker’s Fluidic design philosophy, will be assembled here through the CKD route, with localization touching 50 %.

In other words, expect very competitive pricing. The top-end variants of the Mahindra XUV500 will be a target and so will the likes of the Skoda Yeti and Honda CR-V. The 5 seat SUV will feature a 2 liter turbo diesel motor with about 180 Bhp- Nm on tap.

6 speed manual and automatic transmissions will be offered. An all wheel drive system could also be offered as an option. While the Tucson is available with a petrol variant internationally, it remains to be seen if Hyundai offers such an option in the Indian market given that most luxury SUVs sold here are diesel powered ones.

Elantra

An all-new Elantra will make it to Indian shores by the end of the this year, and the car will replace the current model. To be positioned in the D-Segment sedan space, the Elantra will take on the likes of the Toyota Corolla Altis and the Chevrolet Cruze.

The 1.6 liter turbo diesel engine will be a carryover from the current version while a new, 2 liter petrol motor is likely. Manual and twin clutch automatic gearboxes could be a part of the transmission mix in the new car, which is 20 mm longer and 25 mm wider than the outgoing model.

Interiors will be all-new and so will be the infotainment system: a 7 inch touchscreen unit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The new Elantra will be built at Hyundai’s Sriperumbudur factory. Expect prices so start at 15 lakh rupees.