Bringing its performance-oriented N Line range of cars to India, Hyundai Motor on Tuesday unveiled the i20 N Line with motorsport-inspired styling and performance.
The i20 N Line, which is targeted at young millennials, is powered by a 1-litre petrol Turbo GDI engine mated with six-speed iMT (intelligent manual transmission) and seven-speed DCT transmission options.
The car is capable of achieving 0-100 km acceleration in 9.9 seconds, and Hyundai claims a fuel efficiency of up to 20.25 kilometre per litre. “Our first model under the N line range — i20 N Line, showcases our commitment to redefine mobility for Indian consumers,” Hyundai Motor India MD and CEO S.S. Kim said. “This is a different product from i20, and will make performance driving accessible to all,” he said.
“We will subsequently introduce other models under this range over the next few years in India,” he added.
Globally, the Korean automaker sells 11 models under this range in about 40 countries.
Mr. Kim added that given that India was the youngest country compared with other automotive markets, Hyundai believed this was the perfect time to bring the N Line series to India.
Hyundai Motor India Director (Sales, Marketing and Service) Tarun Garg added that about five years ago, the biggest chunk of buyers for Hyundai were in the age group of 31-38 years. This has now changed to 25-31 years.
He added that the performance segment cars were at the ‘starting stage’ but would grow as more and more OEMs entered the segment to cater to customer demand.
Mr. Garg told The Hindu that customers were now clearly becoming more and more aspirational and looking for features and personalisation in their cars. For Hyundai Motor India, he said that customers choosing sunroofs has grown from 13% in 2018 to 30% now and nearly one-third buyers are opting for BlueLink, its connected car solutions.
The price of the car would be announced in the first week of September, and i20 N Line would be retailed through 188 Signature outlets spread across 97 cities in the country. The company currently sells models like Tucson, Elantra and Alcazar from these outlets.
