NEW DELHI: Hyundai is pinning its hopes on Aura to reclaim apex position in the compact sedan segment.
The upcoming Hyundai offering – Aura – is backed by a segment-first 1.2-litre, BS-VI compliant, Ecotorq diesel engine. At a time, when carmakers are taking their foot off the small displacement diesel powertrains, Hyundai believes a third of Aura sales will be driven by it.
READ ALSO | Hyundai Aura launched, starts at Rs 5.8 lakh
“We overcame the challenge of introducing small-displacement diesel powertrain. People are talking about prices of cars powered by BS-VI diesel engine going remarkably high, we are able to deliver a first such product at competitive pricing,” said Vikas Jain, assistant vice-president, unit sales head, Hyundai Motor India.
Hyundai Aura first look
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Hyundai’s sister organisation Kia was among the first few in the market to roll out BSVI engine with diesel as an alternative. Quashing the links, Jain said, “As far as Aura is concerned, we are happy to deliver our customers with a choice that no one earlier could.”
The Korean carmakers rolled out Aura in three engine options – 1.0-litre turbo petrol, 1.2-litre MPI petrol and 1.2-litre Ecotorq diesel engine – with manual and automatic transmission options. Hyundai Aura is priced at Rs 5.8 lakh – Rs 9.22 lakh (ex-showroom) and will rival against Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, Honda Amaze, Volkswagen Amaze, Ford Aspire and Tata Tigor. Barring Honda and Ford offerings, no other carmakers are likely to roll out diesel units.
Interestingly, Hyundai has positioned the Xcent and Aura in the same segment, however, the former is pitched more towards fleet owners and transport operators. Comparing the two, the entry-level S trim (BSIV diesel) of Xcent comes at Rs 6.73 lakh (ex-showroom), which is not offered to the Aura. On the other hand, the ‘E’ trims of Aura is dearer by only 4% to that of Aura.
Ex-showroom prices:
E
S
SX
SX (O)
1.2 L Petrol MT
Rs 5,79,900
Rs 6,55,00
Rs 7,29,900
Rs 7,85,900
1.2 L Petrol AMT
Rs 7,05,800
Rs 8,04, 800
1.2 L Petrol CNG
Rs 7,28,900
1.2 L Diesel Ecotroq MT
Rs 7,73,800
Rs 9,03,800
1.2 L Diesel Ecotroq AMT
Rs 8,23,700
Rs 9,22,700
1.2 L Turbo GDI MT
Rs 8,54,900
Additionally, the sedan designed for Indian millennials, is packed with 14 segment-first and best-in-segment features. On the interiors, Aura gets a wireless charging facility, cooled glovebox, rear AC vents, an 8-inch touch infotainment system and 5-inch digital speedo with MID.
Other state-of-the-art characters include the iBlue Audio remote smartphone App, eco coating, cruise control and rearview monitor.