Hyundai Fluidic i20 spied!

Fresh spy photos of the Hyundai i20 facelift have emerged revealing the car’s new styling especially the changes at the front and the rear. The upcoming i20 is expected to be launched in April 2012.

A few of days ago CarToq had reported that bookings for the existing i20 are being converted to new fluidic i20 bookings. Read more: Hyundai Fluidic i20 launch seems imminent!

Let’s take a brief look at what the fresh spy photos reveal about the new i20.

Test mules of the i20 had a pair of LED lights instead of regular fog lights on the front bumper. Whether the LED lights will act as daytime running lamps or fog lamps is not clear yet. The front will likely get the fluidic design language which includes the hexagonal grille, dynamic and smooth flowing lines as seen on the Hyundai Eon, i10 and the Verna.

The sides of the face lifted i20 will have the same design as the outgoing model and it is not easy to tell it apart from the old model.

The rear appears to be similar to the current i20 too. However the tail lamps will get a fresh design with clear lens treatment and large reverse parking lamps. The refreshed i20 will likely come with the i10′s 1.2-litre, VVT petrol motor that puts out 79 bhp of power and a slightly powerful 1.4-litre petrol that puts out 100 bhp for the automatic variant. The diesel version of the upcoming i20 will likely be powered by the same 1.4 litre CRDi engine that puts out 89 bhp and is mated to 5-speed manual transmission. Summing up, overall performance and mileage of the new i20 will likely be similar to the present model.

Currently, the i20 petrol is priced in the range of Rs. 4.59 lakh – 8.09 lakh while the i20 diesel is priced in the range of Rs. 5.70 lakh – 7.45 lakh. The new i20 will likely be priced a little more than the price of the outgoing model.

The i20 is the second largest selling premium hatchback, only next to the segment leader, Maruti Suzuki Swift. With its big list of features and upmarket interiors, the i20 has long been a preferred premium hatchback among buyers. The face lifted i20 when launched, may likely up its sales significantly. Buyers may face a waiting period if booking numbers are high.

(Photo courtesy: Indian Autos Blog)