Hyundai might launch the Elite i20 crossover on March 9

Hyundai's upcoming new crossover based on the Elite i20 hatchback might be launched on March 9 in India. The new crossover might be priced in the range of Rs 6 lakh to Rs 11 lakh and will compete with the Volkswagen Cross Polo, the Toyota Etios Cross, Fiat Avventura and the upcoming Maruti Suzuki SX4 S-Cross in the compact crossover segment in our country.

This new crossover is underpinned by the same platform as the Elite i20 hatchback that was launched last year in India and has received a good feedback. Hyundai banks on the launch of such new vehicles to improve their market share and boost their domestic volumes. The Elite i20 crossover gets many new cosmetic changes that include a plastic cladding and restyled bumpers to give it a muscular look. It sports a new design for the alloys and we hope that a tailgate mounted spare wheel is added at the back like in the EcoSport. The cabin is expected to get some additional features in line with the sporty design of the vehicle.

Coming to the powertrain, the Korean manufacturer has powered the crossover with the same engine options from the Elite i20 hatchback. This means the petrol variant will be powered by the four-cylinder 1.2-litre Kappa motor that produces 83bhp of power and mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. The oil-burner will be powered by the 1.4-litre CRDI motor that churns out 89bhp of power and 219Nm of torque and it comes mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

We have seen the crossover testing several times in South India. This cosmetically tweaked, beefed up version of the Elite i20 hatchback looks good and should find a good demand in our country where crossovers are being accepted well these days.