Hyundai posted the first teaser
pic of its updated HB20 hatchback along with a reveal date: September 16, 2019.
However, it looks like the company is too eager to put all chips on the table:
today, it has revealed the exterior of the car and promised to show us the
cabin on Saturday, September 7.
The Hyundai HB20 range has been created specifically
for Brazil based on the previous-gen Solaris platform. Aside from the hatch, it
incorporates a sedan/saloon, which gets the ‘S’ suffix, and a hatchback/CUV
model, which has ‘X’ added to its name. The entire range is being marketed as
affordable. According to various media sources in Brazil, the
HB20 comes based on the same Solaris platform, albeit improved and now sporting
30 mm of extra wheelbase (new wheelbase: 2,530 mm). We expect
the body to be longer, too.
The new design draws heavily upon the Hyundai Saga
Concept (see video). In particular, the new HB20 gets the same front grille and
identically shaped lighting all around. That said, it also borrows certain
stylistic features from the European i10 and Indian Grand i10 Nios – look at
the tapered front end with round anti-fog lights.
As for the cabin, we would expect it to feature a
multimedia system with a hovering touch-enabled display, as well as a digital
odometer. The second-gen HB20 will enter the market packing a new
three-cylinder turbo engine with one liter of displacement room and 120
hp at the crank. It will only connect to a six-speed
automatic transmission. The previously available 1.0-liter non-turbo mill with
75-80 hp will remain in stock for stick shift lovers. The 1.6-liter
four-cylinder unit rated at 122-128 hp will retire from the lineup,
as will the three-cylinder Kappa mill with its 98-105 hp.
