Hyundai to dump diesel engine on Grand i10: NIOS to get both petrol & diesel engines

Hyundai India is planning to dump the 1.2 liter-3 cylinder turbocharged diesel engine from the Grand i10 later this month, when the Grand i10 NIOS is launched. However, the Grand i10 NIOS will be offered with both petrol and turbo diesel engines. As per ACI, the decision to dump the diesel engine from the Grand i10 may have to with the fact that Hyundai is planning to sell the Grand i10 alongside its successor – the Grand i10 NIOS.

However, Hyundai will reposition the Grand i10 as a lower priced car, sandwiching it between the likes of the Santro and the Grand i10 NIOS. Notably, the South Korean automaker had adopted a similar strategy when it first launched the Grand i10 in India half a decade ago. Back then, the i10 hatchback was repositioned lower and the 1.2 liter petrol engine offered on it was dumped, and the car got a smaller 1.1 liter petrol engine with lesser power and torque.

This time around though, the diesel engine will get the boot, and the Grand i10 will soon go petrol only. The engine in question is a 1.2 liter unit in a triple cylinder layout, making 74 Bhp of peak power and 190 Nm of peak torque. The same engine will be made BS6 compliant and offered with the Grand i10 NIOS, whose petrol engine will be the 1.2 liter-4 cylinder unit with 82 Bhp-114 Nm.

Both engines will get 5 speed manual gearboxes as standard, and AMT options are expected to be offered on both engines. The AMT unit is likely to be borrowed from the Santro – Hyundai’s first car to get this option. The Grand i10 NIOS will be launched on the 22nd of August, and bookings are already open across all Hyundai dealerships. The car will compete with the Maruti Swift and Ford Figo, among other B-Segment hatchbacks sold in India.

The Grand i10 NIOS is the third generation version of the i10 brand, and gets a major stylistic revamp at the front and rear. The car is said to have grown in size, and should be more spacious on the inside. The interiors of the car are also totally different from what you get on the Grand i10. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be offered on the touchscreen infotainment system. The car will offer twin airbags, ABS, reverse parking sensors, speed alerts and seat belt reminders across all variants. Higher variants are expected to gain a reverse parking camera as well. The car is likely to start from Rs. 5.5 lakhs for the base petrol variant, occupying the same space that the outgoing Grand i10 will vacate.