Hyundai sub-4m SUV (Hyundai Carlino) on track to launch in H1 2019

Hyundai India will launch the production version of the Hyundai Carlino concept, that was showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo, in the first half of 2019. Mr Y K Koo, MD and CEO, Hyundai Motor India Limited revealed details regarding the new Hyundai compact SUV launch at the press conference of the new Hyundai Verna today.

Internally known as the Hyundai QXi, the upcoming compact SUV will be a direct rival to the Ford EcoSport, Maruti Vitara Brezza and Tata Nexon. It will be HMIL's first compact SUV.

According to a report that came out in February last year, around 60% of Hyundai Carlino's R&D will come from India. Also, the Hyundai Compact SUV is expected to look significantly different from the Carlino aka HND-14 concept.

Media reports claim the Carlino will be powered by a 1.0 L T-GDI turbocharged petrol engine which is serving on the European i20. It could mark the introduction of Hyundai's locally made turbo petrol motor. Diesel variants will draw power from the 1.4 L U2 CRDi engine that powers the Elite i20 and Creta. HMIL also spoke about the introduction of AMT technology next year. The upcoming Hyundai Compact SUV could be a recipient of the low-cost automatic gearbox.

The new compact SUV is a part of the seven products HMIL will bring to the market by 2020.