Spied - Hyundai i20 facelift hides its LED lights and redesigned rear

New spyshots of the Hyundai i20 facelift arrived in our inbox today thanks to Ashwin Keerthivasan Ravichandran and Rohan Dhanraj from Chennai. Rohan's spyshots reveal LED lights on the car's bumper hinting at an i30-inspired face while Ashwin's pictures show the enlarged tail lamp and a reworked tailgate.

Left - The existing i20; Right - The new i20 has a snaking headlight design and LED strips on the bumper.

In many parts of Europe, daytime running lamps are compulsory fitments on new cars. We'll have to wait and see if Hyundai India offers the LED pack on the Asta model as that is the bells and whistles variant. For the Indian market this will help from the looks standpoint.

The tail lights appear to have grown in size. The design is hardly any different, the reverse light is bigger in area.

Having seen these pics, it looks as if the i20 facelift's launch is merely weeks away now. Soon after the rumored Geneva premiere (March first week), Hyundai could launch the vehicle in our market. We'd be surprised if Hyundai holds back the revisited i20 from showroom floors even after April.

Under the hood Hyundai may not make any changes except for the introduction of the variable valve timing-attested Kappa2 1.2-liter engine. BlueDrive technology (LPG kit in Hyundai lingo) is an option any day Hyundai can consider. Hyundai is already offering an AT option on the more powerful 1.4-liter petrol engine.

The 1.4-liter diesel can continue till the next generation i20 (codename - IB) comes into the market with a newly developed oil burner.

2013 Hyundai i20 Spyshot Slideshow

can't see the slideshow above? Head over to the Flickr page for the gallery.