Hyundai launches 1-litre Eon to take on Celerio, Datsun Go

Hyundai Motor India has launched a one-litre Eon that will be sold along with the current 800cc Eon variant. The one-litre Eon will be available in the Magna+ variant and will retail at an ex-showroom, New Delhi of Rs 383,100.

The new variant which is Euro 5-ready comes with dual VTVT technology and offers better performance, fuel efficiency and reduced emissions, the company has claimed.

The one-litre will take on the Maruti Celerio that retails at Rs 3,96,000 and the Nissan Datsun Go, whose top-end version (the only one so far available) costs Rs 3,69,000.

Under the hood of the new Eon variant is a three-cylinder, one-litre Kappa engine that offers an ARAI-certified 20.3 kpl. B S Seo, the company’s managing director and CEO, said, “Hyundai consistently innovates to meet and exceed the demands of the customer and the 1.0 litre Kappa engine now offered in the Eon aims at delighting our customers.”

The Eon currently sells about 7,000-and-odd units a month. The Celerio has averaged monthly sales of 6,000 units since its February 2014 launch.

The one-litre Eon has an all-aluminum engine that promises weight reduction with adoption of aluminum head and block that help achieve improved fuel economy. Moreover, to minimise NVH levels, the low friction timing chain has been adopted while the piston cooling jets ensures optimum piston temperature for efficient engine working. The one-litre engine is mated with 5-speed manual gearbox.