Spied: Hyundai i15 to plug the gap between i10 and i20?

Hyundai is on a roll. The company is coming out with new models which are making mainstream car buyers salivating. Be it the soon to be launched New Verna, the international sensation Sonata YF or the extremely gorgeous New Elantra, every model from the Korean carmaker’s stable seems to be bristling with a newfound charm.

But Hyundai refuses to rest on its laurels and continues to pump resources into building models which plug every conceivable gap in the global car bazaar and create segments if required. What you see here in these pictures seems to be one such effort. Our friends at Noticiasautomotivas in Brazil have managed to catch this new Hyundai hatchback which apparently is an i10 / i20 straddler. This means that if you find the i10 too small and the i20 too big, this is the car you should be looking at. The new car has been labelled the i15 and codenamed HB by Hyundai

While there is no clarity on the choice of engine, we can safely expect Hyundai to choose from its current lineup of 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.6 petrol and 1.4 / 1.6 diesel engines. While the international markets have a probability of getting a powerful 1.6 liter unit, a 1.4-liter petrol / diesel engine unit seems more apt for India. As it is, the Hyundai i20 is available only with 1.4-liter engine units, and the new car is expected to be positioned below the model, so it is unlikely that any bigger engines will power the compact for India.

It’s difficult to comment on the design of the car with its heavy camouflage, but size wise it should match the current Swift. The car seems to have a wide stance, with big bold bumpers. The width of the car should augment shoulder room, and it looks fairly long too for good kneeroom. Seems like Hyundai are bang on the money as far as functionality goes.

Still early days to comment on price, but if Hyundai wants to position it between the i10 and the i20, then the price should be somewhere there too, between the two. Going by the current roll-outs from the Hyundai stables we are sure the new car too would amaze one and all.

Do you think there is need for a car between the i10 and the i20? What should be the qualities / power of such a car if it comes from the Hyundai stables? What should be its pricing? Do let us know.