All-new Hyundai Eon hatchback set for October launch in India

The Hyundai Eon will be Hyundai’s new small car for India. Based on a reworked version of the Santro platform, the Hyundai Eon will also use a Santro-derived three-cylinder petrol engine, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. The word Eon means “long period of time”, and this gives some indication of Hyundai’s dreams for its new baby.

As you can see, the Eon borrows heavily from Hyundai’s new Fluidic design language, and features a bold hexagonal grille, multi-dimensional headlamps and sharp detailing to the front bumper. Similarly, the rear-end of the new Hyundai Eon will also be designed in keeping with the Fluidic design.

On the inside, the new Hyundai Eon will use a space-efficient and modern interior layout, with details like the centre console and steering wheel borrowing inspiration from the bigger i20 and Verna. The front seats are likely to be one-piece units with integrated head rests, intended to keep costs low and reduce weight as well. Hyundai is also paying particular attention to the quality of plastics used for the dashboard, door mouldings and luggage compartment, and say that the new Eon will have the best quality interior in this class. Luggage space is expected to be class-leading as well. A common criticism of many modern city cars is their utter lack of luggage capacity, and Hyundai is keen to address this, seeking to turn it into one of the Eon’s USPs.

The Santro-derived three-cylinder petrol engine has been thoroughly reworked, with improved mapping and sequential fuel injection to ensure the car is both fuel efficient and environmentally friendly. This is important, because Hyundai is evaluating the Eon for export as well. However, the high degree of localised componentry will ensure that costs of the new powerplant are kept low. There are no immediate plans for a diesel Eon for now, but it is understood that the Eon engine is being developed to be able to cope with alternative fuel, such as LPG or CNG, while also being capable of running on alcohol-blended fuel. This engine is expected to produce around 45 PS of power, adequate for the new Hyundai Eon’s relatively low kerb weight. Hyundai is targeting a real world fuel efficiency figure of 20 kpl for the Eon, which will really be a feather in its cap.

The car is production-ready and Hyundai is gearing up for the launch, expected to take place in the second week of October. Prices for the Eon will be announced then, but we expect that prices for the new Hyundai Eon could start from as low as Rs 2.75 akh, which will make it exceedingly good value for money.