Hyundai i20 Active Cross - Launch Date Revealed

The launch date of the Hyundai i20 Active Cross has been announced. The car will be launched on the 18th of March, 2015. The i20 Active is a Cross variant of the i20 Elite hatchback. Hyundai’s Russelsheim design center in Germany has been instrumental for the car’s design. The i20 Active will seek to add further zing to the i20 Elite’s numbers, which at 10,000+ units each month, is unprecedented for a B+ segment premium hatchback that’s priced at a premium. The i20 Active will be pricier than the hatchback it is based on. Variant to variant, be prepared to fork out about 40,000-50,000 rupees extra for the more muscular version of the i20 Elite.

In terms of engines and transmissions, the 1.2 liter Kappa2 petrol (86 Bhp-112 Nm) and the 1.4 liter CRDI diesel (90 Bhp-220 Nm) motors are likely to be retained, along with 5 speed and 6 speed manual transmissions respectively. Additional ground clearance and revised suspension are two other major changes that are expected on the new car, whose competitors include the likes of the Fiat Avventura, the Toyota Etios Cross and the Volkswagen Polo Cross. Visual changes on the new car, as compared to the i20 Elite, include a new front grille, revised front and rear bumpers, new fog lamp positions, body cladding and revised alloy wheel design.

Hyundai is a relatively late entrant to the hatchback based cross segment. However, considering the tremendous success of the i20 Elite, the South Korean automaker seems best equipped to make real inroads into this segment, which is yet to take off in India despite playing host to multiple players. The i20 Active is bold experiment from the car maker, and the first drives of this vehicles will kick off next week, just ahead of its official launch. Hyundai India’s Sriperumbudur factory, near Chennai, will be the production hub of the i20 Active. Apart from being sold in India, the car is expected to be exported to emerging markets around the world.