Hyundai i20 to debut at Paris Auto Show
Hyundai officially announced today, that its all-new Hyundai i20 passenger car will make a world premiere at the 2008 Paris Auto Show, starting October2. The all new i20 hatchback, due to be launched towards the end of 2008, will be a highly significant addition to the new generation of Hyundai vehicles and is expected to become the best selling Hyundai model in the European range.
The i20 was designed at Hyundais European Design Centre in Germany and engineered to meet European tastes and needs. It was built on an entirely new platform and much of the ride and handling development took place on European roads, which has created a firm and agile drive. The chic new five–door i20 rides on a platform that features longer wheelbase compared to its predecessor model, the Getz.
Featuring Hyundais distinctive design – a bold chrome topped grille flanked by piercing teardrop headlamps at the front and striking stacked light clusters at rear, the i20s modern lines are further strengthened by neat detailing, including color co-ordinated bumpers, sills and wing mirror.
Hyundai i20 will be available with several different 4-cylinder engines, but so far, Hyundai only released details about the all-new 1,4 Liter CRDI diesel engine that generates 90 horsepower and 220 Nm of torque. The fuel sipping 1,4L diesel engine will be mated to the 6-speed manual transmission and will deliver an incredibly low fuel consumption of 4,0L/1oo km. [Source: Hyundai]
In addition to the all-new i20, Hyundai plans to reveal several other production ready and concept cars at the 2008 Paris Auto Show. Find out more here.
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8 Responses to Hyundai i20 to debut at Paris Auto Show
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Hyundai owners & enthusiasts, welcome!
I think this new interpretation of the Getz-design is very nice. OK – i heard a lot say that it is boring, conservative and so on…but you can’t blame Hyundai for trying to refine a succesful design (when they finally got one with the Getz a few years back
).
Anyway – my wife and I are considering buying a Kia Picanto as our car # 2 – but now we might just wait for this one, as we used to drive a Getz a few years back…and were happy with it.
Are there any shots of the rear end of the car yet?
This will be a pretty nice design afterall, I think. Perhaps it’s just the picture, that makes the car look a little boring or unexciting, especially when compared to the new Ford Fiesta, which looks really cool.
I think we should wait to see more official images and then share our 2 cents.
IMO, the i20 would be a better choice compared to Picanto. I don’t say Picanto is not a good car, but it’s pretty old and if I’m correct, it has been on the market for 4 years now, so the new the model will soon be replaced with a new one. And it only got three stars at crash tests, while we expect i20 to receive a five star rating at EuroNCAP! The i20 is a fresh product and is also very environmental friendly.
There are no other official shot than this on. I have seen a rear spy shot some time ago, but it didn’t reveal anything, as the hatch was covered with black camo.
But expect to see some new shots within a few days. Paris Auto Show starts on October.
About the Picanto – somewhere I read that it won’t be replaced for another 3 years (it just recently got a facelift). But you’re point taken – it IS an old car, with pretty lousy safety compared to todays standards. So the i20 is the better choice
. But in the end – our choice might just be a matter of money, since it just has to be an extra car for short trips. I suppose the i20 will be maybe 10% more expensive than the Getz, since it is a little bigger and rumoured to be with better materials. That would make it about 25-30% more expensive than the Picanto. The money saved when buying the Picanto will buy you a lot of gas 
.
As for the rear of the i20 – the closest thing i found so far:
http://www.motorauthority.com/wp-content/plugins/iimage-gallery.php?idpost=6631&idg=1&idi=7
Well come October we’re all wiser
Considering the costs only, Picanto’s still a great, if not the best buy. Did you compare it to Hyundai i10 yet?
Yes that’s the pic I was talking about. It doesn’t reveal much, but enough to see that the rear lights look almost exactly like those on Opel Corsa!!
Considering the i10 would be an obvious choice since it builds on the Picanto, but though it is the newer car, i kind of like the Picanto better. That is unless the Picanto doesn’t get the new 1,25 Kappa engine, which clearly has a lot to offer in terms of environment, power and consumption.
Regarding i20/Corsa comparison you are absolutely right. Actually not so few details of the new Hyundai resembles details of the Corsa, i.e the front lights.
Which car would you consider best buy in the Picanto segment?
There are many good cars in the segment. To mention just a few of them:
Kia Picanto
Hyundai i10
Suzuki Splash
Opel Agila
Fiat Panda
Peugeot 107
Renault Twingo
VW Fox
Toyota Aygo
Chevrolet Matiz
For me, it would be a close fight between i10 and Suzuki Splash/Opel Agila, but at the end, I’d definately choose the i10.
Why?
I’m loyal to Hyundai/Kia brand. After a ten year experience with Hyundais I don’t see my self buying a new car from any other brand.
Now, if I bought a car based only on the exterior look I’d go with Splash/Agila, but I don’t buy cars that way. Besides exterior and interior design, I look at other more important factors, such as safety rating, warranty, options, build quality, and price.
Based on all of these, i10 wins. While it’s not as attractive as Opel/Suzuki twins, it does offer better warranty, lower price, the same safety rating (4 stars at EuroNCAP) and good drive.
I’d also seriously consider a Picanto, but only with 1,1 CRDi diesel engine. That one has really low consumption. Picanto also looks good outside and especially inside. It’s interior was improved with better plastic and seat materials when the model was facelifted earlier this year. As the i10, Picanto also offers great warranty and it drives pretty good. (I test drove it)
What about other cars:
Fiat Panda (not as good and roomy as i10, jucky plastic inside)-test drove it.
Fiat500 (perfect car, but costs waaay too much!)
P107,Citroen C1,and Toyota Aygo: Cars are based on the same platform, and frive good, but the interior feels soooo cheap. I know, cause I have a friend who owns the C1 and another friend who owns P 107. The interior is like a Kinder Surprise toy! They do, however, drive a little better than Picanto, but the feeling inside is cheap and Picanto feels superior inside.
Renault Twingo…I’d only buy a 133hp RS sport version.
Chevy Matiz: Hm…I wouldn’t buy it.
VW Fox: Old model, good safety rating, drives the best among these cars, but again, it costs too much.
So my best buy in the A-class segment would be Hyundai i10.
Second place goes to Opel/Suzuki, 3. Kia picanto, 4.VW Fox…
Thanks for your views on the issue. I agree on most of it, however in my country the Fiat 500 isn’t that much more expensive, so that would be a hot contender for the no 1 spot….if you could get it with 5 doors. But then again – that would clearly ruin the entire concept of the car. So no.
As for the Opel/Suzuki twins – they look good, but in my opinion the plastic inside is as kitchy as the PSA/Toyota trio.
So for me it comes down to Picanto/i10. And as you point out, on many points they are similar, i.e. price,warranty,safety,drive and so on. Thats why the looks decide it for me…and thus the Picanto wins, in spite of it being the oldest model. Also there is the argument, that when a car has been build for a long time the build quality is excellent. The i10 however, still holds a chance with me – should it be the only one, to receive the new Kappa-engine.
Regarding the i20 i just found a picture of the Corsa 5-door in red…compared to the i20, i think they look almost as identical as the Opel/Suzuki twins. Still the Corsa is a great looking car, so if Hyundai really did copy it – it isn’t the worst car in the world they could duplicate
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