Upcoming Hyundai Elantra Facelift to be launched as a petrol-only sedan

Hyundai has been working on the Elantra facelift for some time now and the car has been spotted testing in India too. The car is already on sale in several international markets and its Indian launch is expected to happen by the end of this month. The Elantra facelift features a ton of styling changes which includes a much sharper front end along with an overall smarter appearance. While the launch date of the car is nearing, a report by ACI says that the upcoming Honda Civic challenger will not come with a diesel engine but only a petrol engine.

The petrol engine that will power the new facelifted Elantra will be the same 2.0-litre unit that powers the current generation model. This engine will be made available with the option of either a 6-speed manual or a torque converter auto transmission. So yeah, this is a piece of bad news for those who were planning to put their money on a new diesel-powered D-segment sedan by Hyundai. The good news, on the other hand, is that the car will be a definite step up from its current model. But more on that later.

Those who are wondering why Hyundai made this move, that is basically because of the low demand for diesel engines in the D-segment sedans. The South Korean automaker has not formally announced that it will stop diesel engines in India, something which a few prominent automakers have decided to do. Future Hyundai cars like the new Verna and Creta will both get diesel engine options. To let you know, Hyundai sold 214 petrol Elantras from April-July 2019 but only 90 diesel Elantras. The story is similar for other cars in the segment like the Honda Civic, Skoda Octavia and the Toyota Corolla Altis.

There is a possibility that Hyundai could introduce a diesel engine on the Elantra facelift in future but that is not expected to happen anytime soon. At the latest, a diesel engine would only come after the BSVI emission norms come into play form the 1st of April, 2020. It is likely to be the new 1.5-litre diesel engine that made its India debut on the Kia Seltos and in future will be seen on the Verna as well as the Creta.

Coming to the changes made on the car, the Elantra facelift now looks quite sharp thanks to those triangular headlamps, cascading grille and redesigned bumper design. The side and rear profile have also been updated to give the car a modern design. The interiors of the new Elantra are also updated to match the current competition level. The car gets a new cabin layout along with an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity and reverse camera. Hyundai could also introduce the BlueLink smart connectivity feature that made its debut on our shores with the Venue.