Hyundai India recently introduced the new-generation Verna in the Indian market. Speaking on the sideline of the launch event, Mr Y K Koo, MD and CEO, Hyundai Motor India Limited has confirmed that the company will introduce the production version of the Carlino (HND-14) concept in the first half of 2019. The new Hyundai compact SUV had its India debut in its concept avatar at the 2016 Auto Expo in February. Besides this, Hyundai will also bring in a small car in the second half of next year.
With all-new Carlino, the South Korean carmaker will foray into the fierce compact SUV that is currently dominated by Maruti Vitara Brezza and Ford EcoSport. Tata Motors, too, will soon enter into this segment with the Nexon. Rumour has it that pre-production version of the Carlino could be put up on display at the 2018 Auto Expo in February.
Visually, the production version of the Carlino will look completely different from its concept. Though, it might retain some of the styling cues and components. If media reports are to be believed, around 60% development the new Hyundai compact SUV will be carried out by the company’s India based R&D team. The production-ready Carlino is internally christened as the Hyundai QXi. Read – New Hyundai Compact Car Launch Details Confirmed
The new Hyundai sub-4 meter compact SUV could be made available in both petrol and diesel disguise. The petrol unit could be a 1.0-litre T-GDI turbocharged unit that has already been used in the European-spec Hyundai i20. This powertrain could be manufactured locally indicating the competitive pricing of the vehicle. The diesel motor could have been borrowed from the Creta and Elite i20 – i.e. 1.4-litre U2 CRDi.
What might further help the South Korean carmaker achieve aggressive pricing is the low-cost automatic gearbox. HMIL has confirmed that it will introduce the AMT (automated manual transmission) technology next year. This auto box will be developed in-house by the carmaker and make its debut on Hyundai’s compact car.
