Thanks to auto.ifeng.com we’re able to show you first clear images of the next generation Hyundai Verna (Code : RB) that’s coming to India next year.
Its nose has clearly drawn inspiration from the Hyundai Sonata YF, and the design cues have been borrowed to the tune of the tail light’s shape. The flowing lines, twin creased bonnet and well executed grille bring the i20 to mind.
All in all, this is a minimized Hyundai i40 which relies on its big brother for identity. This naturally means the i40 will come before the RB to get all the buzz and people talking about its spectacular design. The only sore point would it be its price (and rightly so) which the RB will try fixing by offering something similar, but smaller and at a much lower price point. This is more like the Honda Civic-City story which clicked for the Japanese. Will it work for the Korean?
The Hyundai RB could compete with the hugely popular Honda City, but what to us will make the big difference is the diesel engine under this baby’s bonnet. It doesn’t make sense for Hyundai to develop an all-new engine, so they should stick with the same engine, probably the block (engine displacement) will remain the same and items like turbochargers and heads and valves could be tweaked for better performance.
What we don’t know is where Hyundai will position this car. Will they sell both the Verna and RB in the same price bracket? Or could Hyundai get a little greedy and go a step above for the 10-12 lakh price range? If its got the looks it could always be a costly car in India.
The next generation Verna looks brisk and is miles ahead of the current Verna
Wow!
For an instant, you might mistake the plum red Hyundai for the Sonata YF. But look closely at the rear quarter glass panel and the sloping roof.
What you see here is the next generation Hyundai Verna/Accent (code : RB) that will be manufactured at the company’s Chennai facility. We speculate the RB will be launched in India by the end of 2011 with an all-new powertrain. We have also heard of reports in the past that structurally, the i20 could underpin this sedan.
We understood that the regular CRDi engines and larger displacement 4 pot petrols will rest under the new Verna’s hood. There are also chances for the 1.6 GDi that produces 140bhp to make it on to the RB, but the Indian RB is likely to feature traditional CRDI engines and to the maximum extent, a petrol engine with variable valve timing – which again is our best guess.
We also hear that Hyundai will introduce refreshed Verna Transform in India shortly and that to us will only place a giant blot on Hyundai’s design language. On one hand there’s the fluidic design sculpture scheme used in excess on the Sonata and flowing lines on the i20 that keeps us interested. Then there’s this bipetal alien in the form of the new Verna Transform which frankly speaking is the worst facelift (they should call it the Hyundai ‘Accednt’) we’ve witnessed recently.
What you see here is a camouflaged 2011 Hyundai Accent (Verna to Indians) testing on Korean soil. The next generation Verna is going to be completely overhauled and from what we can observe, it will share lines and grilles with the Sonata YF.
The current generation Accent has been on sale since 2005. Amazingly, Hyundai also sells the previous generation Accent in India in both petrol and diesel forms.
Codenamed RB, the 2011 Hyundai Accent will share its underpinnings with the Hyundai i20 and be offered as a four door sedan and a three-door hatchback (Hyundai sold the Accent 4-door hatchback under the name Viva in India). Four cylinder petrols and diesels will take charge under its hood.
Apart from the four cylinder model, one variant is expected to get the direct-injection 1.6L gasoline engine with 140 horsepower that returns over 40 mpg. A hybrid powertrain is also said to be in the works but such an offering will not make it to India.
