Hyundai staged the world debut of their new sedan on the eve of the Auto Expo 2014 this month. The Hyundai Xcent as it is called, is an interplay of a well-established name (Accent) with a twist for the new generation customers.
Based on the Grand i10's platform, the Xcent is a sub-4 meter sedan, developed to rival the likes of the Honda Amaze and Maruti Swift Dzire. The compact sedan segment is set to grow further with at least three other manufacturers having announced interest to enter this segment.
These pictures, snapped by Indian Autos Blog reader, Mr. Raghothama Rao, show a red Xcent, just outside Hyundai India's facility in Chennai. Though the car seen here is devoid of badges, it gives us a good idea of what the Xcent will look like on the road.
Hyundai said that the Xcent will be offered with a petrol and a diesel engine, though the exact specifications were not announced. The petrol engine of the Xcent, a 1.2-liter four-cylinder outputting 83 PS and 11.6 kgm of torque, would be borrowed from the Grand i10.
The diesel could be a three-cylinder 1.1-liter motor (again, borrowed from the Grand i10) or a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine (from the i20), though in all likeliness it will be the former.
The Xcent will launch in the Indian market next month and will be followed by exports. With the government having announced a 4 percent excise cut for small cars, we expect Hyundai to price the Xcent very competitively.
