Hyundai i45 seen testing

Hyundai i45 seen testing

Two new Hyundai cars have been caught being tested on the Chennai – Bangalore highway. While one car was heavily camouflaged and is speculated to be the next generation Elantra (also known as Avante or Verna RB), the other car was bare naked revealing the ‘i45’ badge at the rear.

Hyundai i45:

The i45 is the Hyundai Sonata successor in international markets. The i45 test mule had GDI badge at the rear which indicates that Hyundai may use the 2.4 litre petrol engine that produces 198 hp of maximum power at 6,300 rpm and 250 Nm of maximum torque at 4250 rpm. The engine could be mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The other option could be to use the 2.2 litre CRDi engine doing duty in Hyundai Santa Fe that produces 197 bhp of maximum power at 4,000 rpm and 420 Nm of maximum torque at 1800-2500 rpm.

It will be interesting to see what name it chooses to go with: whether it retains the i45 badge since the other cars with i prefix have done or it sticks with Hyundai Sonata that didn’t catch Indians’ fancy but is the name of choice for international markets.
The i45 will likely take on Honda Accord, Nissan Teana and Toyota Camry in India. And for once, Hyundai might have a worthy competitor, particularly if it prices the i45 slightly below the rivals.
The new Hyundai Sonata/i45 was first showcased at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show. The car introduced the ‘Fluidic sculpture’ design language of Hyundai. The fluidic sculpture was conceived by the Hyundai designers based on the interplay of fluid elements on hard structures to create an illusion of constant movement to the onlooker. The fluidic sculpture is now the Korean car maker’s future design identity.
Safety features of the Sonata sold in forei markets include 6 airbags, 4-wheel disc brakes, ABS with BA (Brake Assist), ESC (Electronic Stability Control) and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD). In-car entertainment and navigation equipments include a touch screen, Bluetooth streaming audio capability, 6.5 inch WVGA touch screen, 8GB of flash memory and sound system besides auxiliary inputs/iPod/USB ports. We expect the India-bound Sonata to have all these goodies.

The 2011 Hyundai Elantra:

 

The 2011 Hyundai Avante (Verna RB) too was caught testing alongside i45. It will fill the void left in the D-segment by the discontinued Hyundai Elantra in the company’s portfolio in India.

Hyundai’s new Avante will compete with Toyota Corolla Altis and Honda Civic.