2011 Hyundai Verna bookings open

It’s official! You can now book the 2011 Hyundai Verna ahead of its launch. Hyundai India has given advertisements in a leading national newspaper claiming that the new Verna will arrive soon. The ad further says that prospective buyers can book one directly through the dealers or by texting ‘Hyundai Fluidic’ to a pre-determined number for booking the 2011 Verna.

DWS Auto enquired Hyundai dealers in Delhi and found that they have started accepting bookings for the new Verna. The booking amount is Rs.1 lakh and dealers have hinted that the difference between the petrol version and diesel version will be roughly Rs. 50,000.

The vehicle is expected to launch on May 11th according to Autocar India editor Hormadz Sorrabjee. Related: 2011 Hyundai Verna RB launch approaches

The upcoming Verna adopts Hyundai’s fluidic design sculpture which has already been seen in the i10 and i20 models. This is quite evident from the hexagonally shaped large air dam at the front. The interiors will have new features like push start/stop button, automatic climate control, audio controls on the steering wheel, airbags and ABS.

The new sedan is expected to be launched with 4 different engine options – two 1.4-litre mills and two 1.6-litre engines in both petrol and diesel variants. These engine options will cater to the needs of both those who want fuel economy and those who seek performance. The 1.4 litre Gamma petrol engine produces 106 bhp of maximum power and 135 Nm of maximum torque.

The 1.6 litre Gamma petrol produces 122 bhp of maximum power and 156 Nm of maximum torque. While the 1.4 litre CRDi produces 90 bhp of maximum power and 224 Nm of maximum torque and the top-end 1.6 litre U2 diesel motor churns out 126 bhp of peak power and 259 Nm of peak torque.

ARAI certified fuel economy figures for the 2011 Verna had been announced last week. The diesel motors are more fuel efficient than their petrol counterparts. For instance, the 1.4 litre CRDi diesel returns a mileage of 23.5 km/litre as against the petrol variants 17.43 km/litre. Similarly, the 1.6 litre CRDi diesel motor returns a mileage of 22.32 km/litre and the petrol variant returns 17.01 km/litre.

If the dealer words are to be trusted then the diesel versions will set buyers back by Rs 50,000 more than the petrol model of the same variant. Also the sales of hatchbacks in the past few years have been phenomenal which in-turn means that the market for entry level sedans will grow further, as these buyers look to upgrade their vehicles.

Thinking on these lines, the market for sedans priced between Rs. 6 – 11 lakh including the new Verna, will likely bloom in the near future. The new Verna will face stiff competition from the likes of the new generation Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Vento, Honda City, Maruti Suzuki SX4, Fiat Linea and Chevrolet Optra.