Next-gen Hyundai i20 Elite promises to look sharper than ever!

Hyundai is working on an all-new i20 Elite premium hatchback. The car will be launched next year, and is expected to  adopt a similar design philosophy as the next-generation Sonata. Both cars will derive a new design language from the futuristic Le Fil Rouge concept that Hyundai showcased last year. CarToq’s rendering artist Vipin Vathoopan has come up with a speculative render to show you what the next-generation Hyundai Elite i20 could look like.

As the render shows, the next-generation i20 Elite will dump curves for edges, and will look nothing like the  previous generations of the car we’ve seen. The front end looks very sharp, with LED headlamps that are much narrower than the ones seen on the current i20.

Also, the front grille is sharper and smaller than the one seen on the current i20. The bumper hosts the fog lamps  and the bonnet is now set much lower than before. The sides of the car are stubbier than the current model while the roof continues to get a floating design. All in all, this new look is meant to continue Hyundai’s long standing  tradition of adopting new design languages once in every few years.

Under the hood, there will be serious mechanical changes as Hyundai – like other car makers – needs to meet Bharat  Stage 6 (BS6) emission norms, which are much tighter than the prevailing Bharat Stage 4 emission norms. This means  that both the petrol and diesel engines offered need to have expensive emission cutting equipment.

As for the petrol engine, we expect Hyundai to opt for the 1 liter-3 cylinder turbocharged motor that will soon make  its debut on the Styx compact SUV. Hyundai is developing a new 1.5 liter-4 cylinder diesel engine that will be BS6  norms compliant. The same motor is expected to be offered on the new i20, but in a de-tuned trim.

While manual  gearboxes will be standard with both engines, the petrol engine could continue with a CVT automatic gearbox. Hyundai is also said to be working on a twin clutch automatic gearbox for its affordable cars. It remains to be seen whether such an option is offered on the next-gen i20 immediately.

With an eye on the future, both petrol-hybrid and electric powertrains will be supported by the new i20 platform.  While Hyundai may not immediately offer a full hybrid or electric option on the new i20, these are powertrains that  will eventually make it to the car. In 2020, a mild hybrid option is likely on the new car.

Like the current version, the next-gen i20 will be a global model with specific changes meant for the Indian market. It will be built in India with a high level of localization. Meanwhile, the all-new Verna could  also take from the new i20’s design language but that will happen only in 2022 as the Verna is still a couple of years away from a full model change.