New Hyundai small car with 0,8L engine headed for production

Hyundai representative confirms new city car to make official debut in 2011!

Competition is heating up in the small car segment in India with recent announcement of Hyundai’s new mini-car joining the market in the second half of 2011. The new model will be positioned below i10 mini-car, which is the company’s best selling vehicle in India.

The 0.8L mini-car is said to house Hyundai’s brand-new 0.8L three-cylinder engine, which will outpace its main rivals by achieving segment-leading fuel economy and horsepower ratings.

Research and development of the new Hyundai mini-car was undertaken at Hyundai’s research and development centre located in Namyang, S. Korea. According to Mr. Lee, Senior General Manager at Hyundai Motor India, the final design and other technical concepts of the new 0.8L car for Indian roads had already been completed and the model is now facing months of real-life on-road testing before it enters the production.

New Hyundai small car is expected to make public premiere in the first half of 2011, while its sales are expected to commence in the second half of 2011. Initially, the new model will be sold in India only, where Hyundai will take on competitors such as Chevy Spark, Tata Nano and Suzuki Alto, but later on, it is expected that the Korean largest carmaker will take its city car to the global markets.

Pricing has not been finalized yet, but according to the automaker’s representative, the model will cost around $4,500.