Home-grown automaker Tata Motors and Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor India (HMIL) are all set to end the current calendar year 2019 with a bang, unveiling two of the market’s most anticipated products. While Tata Motor will showcase the much talked about an electric variant of its compact SUV Nexon, Hyundai will unveil its compact sedan: Aura.
HMIL has already unveiled the first look of the Aura, which is slated to make its global debut on December 19, and by the looks of it, the vehicle looks relatively sportier and more futuristic than its the other compact sedan: Xcent. Hyundai is expected to announce the price and availability of the model in January.
Derived from the recently launched Grand i10 Nios and meant to replace the Xcent model as the firm’s entry-level sedan offering, the vehicle will be offered in three BS-VI engine options: the 1.2-litre Kappa Dual VTVT, 1.0-litre Turbo GDi and 1.2-litre U2 CRDi.
Design-wise, Aura looks very similar to the Nios from the front, but certain differences make it look more premium. The new vehicle features a bold grille flanked by sweptback projector headlamps. The grille also gets a pair of boomerang-shaped LED DRLs at either end, while at the back, the sedan comes with wraparound tail-lamps.
“Defined by the harmony between four of the fundamental elements of proportion, architecture, styling and technology, the design aim of Hyundai AURA is to bring instinctive beauty, create emotional value and desirability, resulting in a shimmering sculpture of ‘Sensuous Sportiness’,” the carmaker said in a release on Monday.
Expected to be priced between Rs 6-9 lakh, Aura will rival the likes of Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Honda Amaze, Tata Tigor, Ford Aspire and Volkswagen Ameo.
The other vehicle — Tata’s Nexon EV — will be unveiled in India on December 19 as the company plans to increase its presence in the small but growing EV segment. Tata already has an electric vehicle — the Tigor EV — in its line-up and the new vehicle will help it compete with performance rich electric SUVs launched over the past year: Hyundai’s Kona and MG Motor’s ZS.
The electric variant of the Nexon will be powered by the manufacturer’s new powertrain technology called Ziptron. The upcoming Nexon EV will also be equipped with a high voltage system and fast charging capability. According to reports, the EV will have a maximum range of close to 300 km on a single charge and it may make use of regenerative braking to charge the battery on the move.
The carmaker is likely to launch the vehicle in the fourth quarter of the current financial year 2019-20 at an expected price of around Rs 15 lakh. After the launch of the Nexon EV, the carmaker will also be launching the electric version of the Altroz premium hatchback.
Tata’s all-electric bet
The electric variant of the Nexon will be powered by the manufacturer’s new powertrain technology called Ziptron. The model will also be equipped with a high voltage system and fast charging capability. The EV will have a maximum range of close to 300 km on a single charge.
Aura shares some Nios DNA
Derived from the recently launched Grand i10 Nios and meant to replace the Xcent as the firm’s entry-level sedan offering, the vehicle will be offered in three BS-VI engine options: the 1.2-litre Kappa Dual VTVT, 1.0-litre Turbo GDi and 1.2-litre U2 CRDi.