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Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) has launched the 1.2-litre version of hugely successful small-car, Hyundai i10. The 1.1-litre engine was essentially the same that powers the Santro, hence, to have a more powerful engine was the need of hour to cater to the domestic as well as the international market. Hyundai also inaugurated the Engine and Transmission plant at its Sriperumbudur facility which coincided with the launch of 1.2-litre Hyundai Kappa i10.

The Kappa engine project was developed over a period of 48 months attracting an investment of USD 421 million. The 1.2-litre Kappa engine is an aluminium block, four-cylinder engine that features double overhead cam shaft (DOHC) and breathes through 16 valves. Peak power is rated at 79bhp with the motor spinning at 5200rpm. Torque figure stands at 111.8Nm@4000rpm. The engine feels more relaxed in nature when compared to the 1.1-litre mill and revs more eagerly. Not surprisingly, the fuel efficiency of the engine will be about the same as that of the 1.1-litre i10 which means, in this world of ever-growing fuel prices, the Hyundai Kappa i10 will be as light on pocket as the 1.1-litre version. Moreover, the Kappa 1.2-litre engine is Euro 5 ready with the CO2 emission level standing at a mere 119g/km which is lowest for compact cars. The new Engine and Transmission plant is a USD 250Mn facility that has a capacity of 250,000 units per annum. The 1.2 Kappa engine will also be offered with a 4-speed automatic gearbox.

Speaking at the launch H S Lheem, Managing Director, HMIL, said, “Efficiencies in fuel consumption and environment are the prerogatives for any automobile manufacturer. And Hyundai, as a conscientious global corporate citizen, prioritizes these with continuous innovation in technology and design. Our new Kappa engine is the best in class today, with more power, less fuel consumption and a lower CO2 and overall emissions. The current 1.1L engine has proved to be one of the very successful engines for Hyundai and it will continue to power both the Santro and the i10 but the new Kappa engine will significantly raise the bar in this segment and redefine the expectation from this class of cars”.

The Hyundai Kappa i10 will be made available in three variants; the Magna, Sportz and the Asta with all top end features like the sunroof, 2-Din audio system, a unique red pack for the Sportz interiors and some class leading safety features like anti-lock braking system (ABS) and dual airbags. The new kappa i10 will be sold along with the existing Epsilon 1.1 litre engine variant and will be available in a range of 10 colours.

Germany has arrived in India, and how! It all started with an organization which flaunted its three-pointed star way back in the mid ‘90s. What it resulted in was a foray by German companies like Audi, BMW and Volkswagen into the Indian market. All these brands have launched cars which are focused towards the high-end spectrum of the luxury segment.

Audi has been doing well, BMW has established solid sales figure and Mercedes has not been behind by a lot. The latest to enter, VW, sold more Passats than was projected by the company. The Volkswagen Group as a whole registered a growth of 69 percent in sales in India between January and June 2008. Combined together; Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen delivered 10,366 cars in the Indian market. This number was 6,131 during the same period last year.

Mr Joerg Mueller, President, VW India was quoted as saying “The significant increase in our sales figures in India reflects our growing presence in the Indian automobile market and highlights the mounting interest of the discerning Indian customer in our cars. It also points out to the fact that the various models from Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen are aligned to the demands of the market.”

Volkswagen is going to launch the much hyped Jetta in a couple of days from now which will give it additional thrust towards the sales march. Competing against the likes of Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Skoda Octavia, VW Jetta will offer understated elegance, brilliant drivability and fuel economy – all by a fair margin!

“All brands of the Volkswagen group are moving ahead on the growth curve in India. The sales delivery figures for January to June 2008 have exceeded our expectations. As such, we are confident of meeting our targets for the year. Going forward, our plans to further expand our model range with newe launches like the Audi A4 and the Volkswagen Jetta in the year will also drive this endeavour”, Mr Mueller added.

Audi sold 470 cars in the first half of this year which was a huge 128 percent increase vis-à-vis 2007. Skoda’s sales number stood at 9,556 which marks a 62 percent increase than in the corresponding period last year. Volkswagen has delivered 340 cars between January to June 2008. A robust growth it has been for VW, which will only get complemented by the introduction of Jetta and Golf that is set to follow later this year.

The Chevrolet Optra has been in India for a little over five years now. Having visited the beauty salon a year back, Chevrolet Optra was gifted with a suffix, that being ‘Magnum’. And now, it seems, GM is working on a replacement for Optra Magnum.

The picture (credit: Autoexpress) here shows that a lot of work has gone into the design and from certain angles it looks as if some cues have been taken from the Chevrolet WTCC concept shown at the Auto Expo in Delhi this year, the sloping roof line being clearly and inspired effort. There will be a host of technical changes too. The car will feature a sophisticated suspension and will sport a completely new engine. There can be a 1.8L petrol engine under the hood to compete against the likes of Honda Civic but the mainstay will be the diesel which can be either a 1.7L or 19L four-pot common-rail unit. Even the current 2.0-litre TCDi mill seems like a possibility. We will keep you in the loop as and when we get to hear more of this.

It has been in the news for quite a while now, but the time has finally come. Hyundai, India’s second largest car-maker, is going to launch the 1.2-litre ‘Kappa’ engine in a couple of days from now. The i10 in the current guise sells with a 1.1L engine that has a peak power rating of 66bhp. The 1.2-litre engine will put out about 80bhp and would give the ‘performance’ minded individuals something to cheer about in the small-car segment, we hope!

Hyundai i10 has managed to become one of India’s top selling cars within a short span of time and finds itself regularly clocking sales figure hovering around the 10,000 mark. The company will also be launching the automatic transmission version. The investment of Rs 12,000 crore will enable Hyundai to reach the 3-lakh engines mark.

We will bring you more news on this front when the 1.2L i10 gets launched which will be followed with an elaborate drive report.