Hyundai has announced the production and launch of a new car aimed at India. Developed jointly between Hyundai's main Namyang Korea R&D centre and the brand's dedicated Indian R&D facilities in Hyderabad, the new minicar is dubbed Eon.
Eon features a unique platform that was developed in Korea and optimised for Indian marketplace. It is only on sale in India initially, however, Hyundai Australia spokesperson Ben Hershman says the car could eventually sell in a wider range of markets.
"Right now we don’t have any export plans. Our objective is to first meet
the demand in the Indian market. In the course of time we will look at
markets in South America, Africa [South Africa] and the Asia Pacific area -- such as Malaysia."
There are no plans to sell the car in established markets like Australia, Hershman said.
The Eon is built at Hyundai's own state of the art factory near on India's east coast. It's here also that Hyundai builds the i10 model for both local Indian consumption and export. Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is India’s largest automotive exporter and the country's second-largest car manufacturer (after Maruti Suzuki). It's expected Eon production will settle at around 150,000 units per annum
Eon is powered by a 814cc three-cylinder iRDE engine which develops 41kW at 5500rpm and 76.5Nm at 4000rpm. The fuel-injected petrol engine features a smart alternator system akin to current European cars to boost economy when idling [Ed: something cars in India do a lot given the traffic conditions!]
Offered solely with a five-speed manual transmission, the Eon achieves fuel economy of 4.7L/100km says Hyundai. The company claims this figure makes Eon "the most fuel-efficient car in the segment".
Indian automotive press outlets state up to six variants will make up the Eon range. D-LITE is the base model, while the SPORTZ tops the line-up. Prices range from the equivalent of around $A5350-7380.
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