The Hyundai Accent has been in production for over 10 years now and along with the Santro Xing are two models from the Hyundai’s original line up when it began operations here in the early part of the previous decade. The car also spawned a notchback called the Accent Viva. Hyundai had briefly stopped offering the sedan in 2008, but it then returned as the Accent Executive.

The Hyundai Accent is powered by a 1.5-litre petrol mill that produces 94PS and 125Nm of torque. Power is transmitted to the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. There was a also a diesel engined version that ran from 2002 to 2007. It was powered by a 1.5-litre oil burner that produced 82PS and 187Nm of torque and mated to a five-speed manual.

It is likely that Hyundai has discontinued the car due to incredibly low sales. The car has just managed over 200 units every month since November and reached an all-time low by selling just 87 units in April. 

These sets of spy shots have also revealed the window line of the car and it certainly indicates that the car is a much bigger and sportier vehicle. We have also got a small view of the interiors but not many details are visible expect for the fact that Hyundai has now dropped the integrated headrests for the front seats.

While the petrol and LPG mills are expected to remain the same, Hyundai will launch this car with a diesel mill that is expected to be a three-cylinder 1.2-litre oil burner. The company is expected to manufacture the mills at its upcoming flexible engine plant near Chennai.  With tensions between both Korean nations escalating, it is likely that Hyundai may speed up work on the plant.  

The new car might be called the i10 in the global market, but here in India this hatchback is expected to be positioned between the current generation i10 and the i20. This means that the car will launched in India with a completely new name. 

Source: Team-bhp

Hironori Kanayama, president and CEO of Honda India, in an interview with the Economic Times said the entry level segment still plays an important role in the market and this has prompted the company to look actively into it. He has however also admitted that they (Honda) currently do not have a suitable small engine below the capacity of the 1.2-litre mill powering Brio hatchback.

Honda currently has a 660cc mill that it uses in its Kei (light automobile specification) cars in japan but has said that this will not be suitable for the Indian market due to the difference in preferences between Japanese car buyers and the Indian car buyers.

The most viable car in this range is the new N-One that was launched for the Japanese market in November last year. It is a four door kei car and is powered by a 660cc mill that produces 63bhp and 104Nm of torque. There is also a turbocharged version along with the naturally aspirated version.

It is likely that Honda may redesign this mill and increase its capacity to 800cc, putting it in the same league as the Alto and the Eon. Kanayama has said that they have not yet made a decision in this regard. 

Source: ET

GM believes supply chain of the Spark (Beat in India) will be seriously impacted, as the small car is built in Korea and exported to US. India is one of the alternatives for the American company as the car is also built here in Talegaon and exported to Europe.

Hyundai operations might also be affected as the Korean manufacturer imports diesel engines for the operations in India. Though Hyundai is building a diesel engine facility in India, it is going to be a while before that becomes operational.

Mahindra & Mahindra has interest in Korea through their subsidiary, Ssangyong Motors. The company imports CKD units of the Rexton, but might hasten the process of moving part of the operations to India – that is mainly for cost benefits, but now also for more stable environment.

The HB20 sedan uses the same set of mills, underpinnings and gearboxes as the HB20 hatchback. It is 4.2 meters long, 1.7 meters wide, 1.5 meters high and has a wheelbase of 2.5 meters. These are almost the same proportions as the Verna sedan we sold here. The HB20 sedan also shares its interiors with hatchback. 

We doubt if Hyundai will bring HB20 sedan to India any time soon, as it will sit just below the midsize Verna and will end up cannibalising sales of the latter.  There is a possibility that Hyundai might build a sub four metre version specifically for India, but that will require another year at least.

Commenting on the price hike, Rakesh Srivastava, vice president, sales and marketing said, “The price increase was necessitated due to On Board Diagnostic Compliance Changes (OBDC).  We have increased the prices in the range of Rs.575 to Rs.2, 830 across all the models. We have tried to absorb the maximum cost to minimise the price increase to cause less inconvenience to our customers.”

The compact SUV will be the Korean automakers entry into the rapidly expanding compact SUV/crossover market which is currently dominated by the Renault Duster and will soon see a new entry in the form of the Ford EcoSport. 

The MPV will launch after the compact SUV and is expected to compete with the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, the Mahindra Quanto. It is almost certain that Hyundai will give more focus on diesel versions of both vehicles.

Reports also say that Hyundai is currently investing 300 million USD in a flexible engine plant which will manufacturer both petrol and diesel mills. The plant, when ready, will have the capacity to produce 3, 00, 000 engines and is expected to help Hyundai keep the prices of its vehicles stable as it will no longer need to import diesel engines as well help them react to any changes the government makes in  its fuel related policies. 

The car that is expected to sit between the i20 and i10 will most likely be the next generation Hyundai i10 and will debut the diesel mill for the i10. The company has also said that it will not make any cars below the Eon as its ‘brand positioning is all about modern premium’.   

The 2013 Santa Fe was unveiled during the 2012 New York Auto Show and has adopted the Korean automakers ‘storm edge’ design.  The test mules that have been spotted are the five-seater short wheelbase version.  However, we still believe that Hyundai will also bring to India the long wheelbase seven-seater version, dubbed the Grand Santa Fe, because the current Santa Fe is also a seven seater.  

The India-spec Santa Fe will continue to be powered by the 2.2-litre diesel engine which produces 194bhp and 436Nm of torque. The AT/MT options as well as the two-wheel and four-wheel drive options are all expected to remain the same.

The next generation i10 is bigger and wider and will adopt the fluidic design philosophy completely. It has been spied testing  in India at least four times in the last two months and was even seen going head to head with the Volkswagen Up!  near the Arctic Circle.

The 2014 Hyundai i10 is expected to debut the Korean automaker’s small three cylinder diesel engine that will manufactured at Hyundai’s upcoming engine plant near Chennai which signals the start of better pricing for Hyundai’s small diesels including the i20.  The new i10 will not replace the current car but will slot in between the i10 and the i20 and may even facilitate the retirement of the Hyundai Santro. 

Source: IAB

According to reports, Hyundai has been extensively testing the Santa Fe in a bid to make sure that the new model is able to cope with India’s varied climatic conditions. The test mule that was snapped is the short wheelbase five-seater version; however, given that the Indian market has always had a love affair for seven-seater SUVs it is safe to say that the 7-seater version will make its way here.

The India-spec Santa Fe will continue to be powered by the 2.2-litre diesel engine which produces 194bhp and 436Nm of torque. The AT/MT options as well as the two-wheel and four-wheel drive options are all expected to remain the same.

Hyundai is likely to launch the 2013 Santa Fe within the next few months for the Indian market. It is being brought here via the CBU route and will compete with vehicles like the Toyota Fortuner and the recently launched 2013 Honda CR-V. 

Source: team-bhp

Know more about the Chinese spec 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe

The 9000km journey will take place in the i10 itech edition that was launched on February 26. It features changes both on the inside and outside. The outside of the car gets i Tech graphics both on the sides and the front. Most of the major changes have taken place inside the vehicle.

The upholstery has been trimmed in a red and beige combination and is complemented by red accents on the dashboard, doors and the air-con vents. The i10 i Tech in addition to the normal features found on the Magna and Era variants gets a rear parking camera and steering mounted audio controls.