Korean car maker Hyundai has been preparing its first compact SUV for India after the success of Creta. The compact SUV is expected in 2018 and emerging reports shed light on its powertrains.
Hyundai compact SUV will be powered by a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine capable of developing 118hp report Autocar India. The three-cylinder unit is already employed in international spec i20 models. Hyundai believes a strong mid-range torque of the turbo will be essential for the compact SUV and hence it has chosen the new mill. Apart from the turbo-petrol unit, the compact SUV will be available with the option of 1.4-litre U2 CRDi diesel engine that does duty in the Creta, the Verna and the i20.
Hyundai showcased the HND-14 Carlino concept at Auto Expo 2016, and it has been considered as the base for the compact SUV. Reports say the production version will sport a design in line with the i30 hatchback and the compact SUV will also take design cues from the Tucson SUV.
The compact SUV of the Korean car maker will be based on the stretched i10 platform and the vehicle will share many parts of i20 and the Creta. The production-spec will be Hyundai's first project from its Indian R&D centre in Hyderabad. Hyundai India has already said that it plans to introduce its first Automated Manual Transmission (AMT)-equipped car in 2018, indicating that the 1.0-litre engine might be coupled with AMT transmission.
With the arrival of compact SUV, Hyundai's Indian SUV portfolio will be expanded to four models others being, Creta, soon-to-be-launched Tucson and Santa Fe. Apart from Vitara Brezza, Hyundai compact SUV will go up against the Ford EcoSport and Mahindra TUV300.
