The first prototype of Hyundai's Elite i20-based crossover has been spied undergoing preliminary testing India, not long after the new generation i20 made its way into our market.
The test mule of new Elite i20 crossover, purportedly called Elite i20 Cross, was snapped by Indian Autos Blog reader, Mohamed Shahid Hussain, who saw the car on test in Chennai.
Although this is the first clue about Hyundai prepping a crossover based on its popular hatchback, it is not surprising because in the Indian market, crossover is the new segment that has caught the attention of auto enthusiasts, lately.
First there were Toyota Etios Cross and Volkswagen Polo Cross in this segment, which were joined shortly by Fiat Avventura. Now it looks like the next car in this league would be Elite i20 Cross.
In the images leaked online, the new prototype of Elite i20 Cross is seen covered in a black cloth. The new Elite i20 Cross adopts the same design as its younger sibling and engine wise too, the new crossover would remain similar to i20.
The current Elite i20 packs 1.2 litre petrol engine and 1.4 litre CRDi diesel motor. While the petrol engine of churns out 83 PS of power and peak torque of 114 Nm, the diesel motor is tuned to generate 90 PS of power and peak torque of 220 Nm.
While the test mule here hides all the important detailing of the new crossover, one can see the style changes in the aluminium roof rails, new body claddings and different alloy wheels. Like we said, the end product of new Elite i20 Cross may have a sporty and refreshing look; however the overall design would resemble i20 hatch.
We are expecting to see more test mules of Elite i20 cross in the coming days as the launch of the crossover is likely to happen in 2015.
