The Hyundai QXi was spotted at a parking lot last
week in South Korea, courtesy Autotribune.co.kr. The product development
process has reached the testing stage with teams in South Korea, India and the
USA running production prototypes.
The Hyundai QXi is the progression of the Hyundai
HND-14 ‘Carlino' Concept that debuted at Auto Expo 2016. The Hyundai Creta is
longer than four metres, so there is a place for a smaller model that attracts
lower taxes to go up against the Maruti Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport, Tata
Nexon and the Mahindra S201 due next January. About 30,000 sub-4m SUVs are sold
to Indian buyers each month.
Hyundai Latin America’s product specialist Armando
Cardoso has said that the SUV will ride on a new platform. The product design
is neither as radical as the Kona nor as conventional as the Creta. Spy shots
suggest that it’s between the two, having a front-end inspired by the former
and a profile like the latter.
In India, reports say that the Hyundai will offer
the QXi with a 120 PS 1.0-litre T-GDI petrol engine and a newly-developed
1.5-litre diesel engine. The diesel engine will generate 115 hp and
250 Nm of torque. An AWD system is out of the question for India, but may not
be for the international markets posing challenging driving conditions during
winter.
The Hyundai QXi’s Indian launch will reportedly take
place next April. International markets including the USA may receive the first
consignment later the same year.
