Photo: CarPix
Lately, Hyundai and Kia have taken a pounding in the US for exaggerating their fuel economy claims, but there’s nothing exaggerated about the sipping power of a true econobox like the Hyundai i10.
A facelift for the city car model was launched just last year after first being shown in September 2010. The i10 received new front end styling, a new generation petrol engine and other small revisions to the interior. The biggest change for the model was the introduction of a 1.0-liter Kappa engine, a three-cylinder that offers better economy as well as more power than the 1.1-liter ‘Epsilon”.
However, you could hardly call that a revolution. The European city car market is really competitive right now. We expect VW Group to dominate with the Up!/Mii/Citigo trio. But you can hardly ignore other competitors, like Fiat’s 500, which despite its high price is selling well. At the same time, Kia’s Picanto is a newer car, with better features, a nicer interior and in most countries a lower price than the i10.
As a result, Hyundai’s facelifted i10 will have a short lifespan and will soon be replaced by a brand new generation. Coming out of the Hyundai’s testing center in Frankfurt, a prototype for the next-gen i10 has emerged once again.
Style-wise, the new i10 has the same sort of hexagonal shaped grille at the bottom of the bumper. The headlights are masked, but the foglights are visible, round and sporting a boomerang-shaped LED accent piece at the top. Looking at the side profile, we’d say this new city car is a bit bigger than the current one. The engine seems to have crept forward slightly, increasing the front overhang, but also creating more room for passengers. The focus seems to have been placed on creating more room in the front, as the placing of the mirrors indicates the doors are front doors are a bit longer.
The second generation i10 will probably be quite a lot lighter as well, seeing as its weight ranges from 925 to 1,040 kilos, while its brother the Picanto varies between 840–900 kilos.
The only new Hyundai/Kia engine we know of is a 1.2-liter turbo, which is unlikely to go into the i10. Instead, this will likely continue to offer 1-liter and 1.2-liter petrol engines with 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic gearboxes. All engines will likely now be offered with the ecoDynamics start-stop, which will probably be standard on higher trim levels.
Speaking of optional equipment, that will like include those LEDs we mentioned, the 14-inch alloy wheels, body colored mirrors. As is usually the case in this competitive segment, funky body colors and interior trim will be the norm.
We expect this brand new i10 to debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in September this year. After that, it will go on sale about a year from now in January 2014.
However, you could hardly call that a revolution. The European city car market is really competitive right now. We expect VW Group to dominate with the Up!/Mii/Citigo trio. But you can hardly ignore other competitors, like Fiat’s 500, which despite its high price is selling well. At the same time, Kia’s Picanto is a newer car, with better features, a nicer interior and in most countries a lower price than the i10.
As a result, Hyundai’s facelifted i10 will have a short lifespan and will soon be replaced by a brand new generation. Coming out of the Hyundai’s testing center in Frankfurt, a prototype for the next-gen i10 has emerged once again.
Style-wise, the new i10 has the same sort of hexagonal shaped grille at the bottom of the bumper. The headlights are masked, but the foglights are visible, round and sporting a boomerang-shaped LED accent piece at the top. Looking at the side profile, we’d say this new city car is a bit bigger than the current one. The engine seems to have crept forward slightly, increasing the front overhang, but also creating more room for passengers. The focus seems to have been placed on creating more room in the front, as the placing of the mirrors indicates the doors are front doors are a bit longer.
The second generation i10 will probably be quite a lot lighter as well, seeing as its weight ranges from 925 to 1,040 kilos, while its brother the Picanto varies between 840–900 kilos.
The only new Hyundai/Kia engine we know of is a 1.2-liter turbo, which is unlikely to go into the i10. Instead, this will likely continue to offer 1-liter and 1.2-liter petrol engines with 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic gearboxes. All engines will likely now be offered with the ecoDynamics start-stop, which will probably be standard on higher trim levels.
Speaking of optional equipment, that will like include those LEDs we mentioned, the 14-inch alloy wheels, body colored mirrors. As is usually the case in this competitive segment, funky body colors and interior trim will be the norm.
We expect this brand new i10 to debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in September this year. After that, it will go on sale about a year from now in January 2014.
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