Hyundai HB20 gets patented in China

When the Hyundai HB20 was so named (HB stands for Hyundai do Brazil which means Hyundai of Brazil), we thought Hyundai has no plans to launch the hatchback anywhere else in the world.

However, the South Korean manufacturer could be thinking about plying this model in China, the world's largest auto market. Here are the patent leaks of the car from China that surfaced on the internet last week.

From the patents filed we can say that there is absolutely no visual difference between the patent diagrams and the Brazil spec HB20. The stylish entry-level hatchback could see the light of day in China sometime in the future.

To recap, the HB20 is a cheaper and more eye catching iteration of the i20 hatchback. The car sits on the same platform as the i20 but uses cost effective materials and practices to make it significantly cheaper for the Brazilians to give it a series thought. And it worked superbly!

The HB20 is putting up a strong fight with Chevrolet Onix hatchback in Brazil and registers healthy sales figures every month. The HB20 could be manufactured and sold in China by Beijing-Hyundai JV, albeit under a different name.

The Brazilian HB20 employes a pair of flex fuel engines (1.0L and 1.6L) and it is unclear which engine would be used in China if Hyundai decides to launch the car there.

It's highly unlikely that Hyundai will consider launching the car in India since the next gen i10 will move up the ladder a bit thereby shortening the proximity to the i20. Then there would be too little space for an additional model to be positioned in between. Our sources tell us that the HB20 and the next generation i20 aren't interconnected, and the latter is a different project that is making headway in Europe.

[Source: Auto.sohu.com]