After the overwhelming response garnered by Grand i10 Nios hatchback and Venue compact SUV, Hyundai is all set to unleash its next onslaught in the volume oriented compact sedan segment with the all new Aura.
Touted to be the much speculated sedan version of the Grand i10 Nios, the Hyundai Aura will be replacing the ageing Xcent sedan and assist Grand i10 Nios, i20 and Venue in increasing the market share of Hyundai in India. Here are top five points on what the upcoming Hyundai Aura is all about
A sub four metre sedan
The Hyundai Aura is being launched as a successor to the Hyundai Xcent, which has been losing its sheen due to the arrival of newer versions of its rivals like Maruti Dzire, Honda Amaze and Ford Aspire. Like these adversaries, the length of the Hyundai Aura will be under four metres to enjoy the tax benefits for cars which measure under four metres and have a sub-1200cc petrol engine. However, the width, height and wheelbase of the Aura will be more than those of Xcent, which gives it an appeal of a larger car, especially on the inside.
The Hyundai Xcent is currently on sale in its post-facelift avatar, but it isn’t selling as strong aa other compact offerings from Hyundai. Also, upgrading the Xcent to BS6 norms will be a pretty costly affair and might not justify the investment. This is precisely why Hyundai is launching the Aura, an altogether different model that should generate a new interest among buyers in this segment.
Will be a three-box version of Hyundai Grand i10 Nios
Just like how the Hyundai Xcent is based on the Grand i10, the Hyundai Aura will be a sedan version of the Grand i10 Nios. The Nios has already went up in the sales charts with its much refreshing appeal in and out, and the Aura is expected to evoke the same feeling.
While the Xcent is based on the Grand i10, its front and rear styling is very much different when compared to that of the latter. It comes with a different grille and bumpers on both the sides. In order to differentiate it from the Grand i10 Nios, Hyundai will pull off the same strategy with the Aura as well, and the new compact sedan might get a slightly revised front fascia, which will be in line with bigger Hyundai sedans like the Verna and Elantra. Also, the car will feature boomerang shaped daytime running LEDs and projector headlamps like the Grand i10 Nios. However, the tail lamps and the alloy wheels will have different designs here.
Will likely come with BS-VI engines
At the time of its launch, the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios came with the BS-VI version of its tried and tested 1.2-litre four cylinder petrol engine. However, Hyundai didn’t updated its 1.2-litre three cylinder diesel engine to BS-VI. Considering the fact that the deadline of BS-VI norms is fast approaching , the BS-VI version of the 1.2-litre oil burner available on the Grand i10 will debut in the Hyundai Aura. This engine, which currently makes 75 PS of power and 190 Nm of torque, might have minutely revised outputs in its BS-VI form. Also, like in the Grand i10 Nios, it might come with an additional 5-speed AMT gearbox as well.
Apart from that, the newly updated 1.2-litre petrol engine from the Grand i10 Nios will naturally find its way to the Aura as well, most possibly in the same state of tune – 83 PS of power and 114 Nm of torque – and with 5-speed manual and AMT options.
Key features
The Grand i10 Nios has already set new benchmarks in terms of equipment, and the same is expected from the Hyundai Aura. The sedan counterpart is expected to get the same feature set list from the Grand i10. However, to differentiate things a bit, the Hyundai Aura might have a different interior colour scheme as compared to white and grey dual tone layout in the Grand i10 Nios.
While on the outside, it will have projector headlamps, daytime running LEDs and machined alloy wheels, the interior will come with a larger 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, reverse parking camera, automatic climate control, push button start with keyless entry, rear AC vents, shark fin antenna, wireless charging for smartphones, electrically adjustable and foldable rear view mirrors, digital instrument console and driver seat height adjustment.
Expected price and launch timeline
Hyundai doesn’t want to be left behind in the race of the very hotly contested compact sedan segment, which is why it is gearing up with trial runs of the Aura in full swing. Like the Grand i10 Nios, the Hyundai Aura, too, is expected to be priced very competitively, with an estimated price range of Rs 5.99 lakh for the base petrol variant to Rs 8.99 lakh for the top-spec diesel model. With this, it would carry a slight premium over the Xcent, but should be able to justify the premium through its larger dimensions, additional features and a new design.
Also, considering how important this new car is for Hyundai on the global platform, the Aura might see a glorious launch at the upcoming Auto Expo in New Delhi. The Hyundai Aura will take on well-established competitors like the Maruti Dzire, Honda Amaze, Volkswagen Ameo, Ford Aspire and Tata Tigor.
