The
Hyundai i10 (called the
Inokom i10 in
MalaysiaMalaysia is a country in Southeast Asia that consists of thirteen states and three Federal Territories, with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population stands at over 28 million inhabitants...
) is a
city carA city car is a small, moderately powered automobile intended for use in urban areas.It is comparable in size and features to a neighborhood electric vehicle , has four seats, and is typically long. These cars have been sold in Europe since the 1960s, and now are an official car classification....
(
hatchbackHatchback is a term designating an automobile design, containing a passenger cabin with an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind the vehicle by a single, top-hinged tailgate or large flip-up window...
) produced by the
Hyundai Motor CompanyHyundai Motor Company , a division of the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, is the world’s fourth largest automaker in terms of units sold and one of the Big Asian Four...
, launched on 31 October 2007, manufactured only in
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
, at Hyundai's
ChennaiChennai , formerly known as , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the fifth most populous city in India. Located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, Chennai city had a population of 4.34 million in the 2001...
Plant — and sold globally. Replacing the
Atos/Atos Prime/Amica/SantroThe Hyundai Atos is a city car produced by the Hyundai Motor Company. The original Atos was introduced in 1997. In 1999, it was joined by the less controversially styled Atos Prime. It uses the G4HC Epsilon straight-4 engine...
(except in India, where the lower-priced Santro Xing is still being sold below it), it is marketed below the
GetzThe Hyundai Click is a supermini car produced by the Hyundai Motor Company, sold in most of the world except the U.S. or Canada...
and
i20The Hyundai i20 made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in October 2008 and went on sale in December 2008 in India to fit between the i10 and i30. Three and five door versions are available. The i20 replaces the Getz in most markets but in the UK, Australia and India, the Getz will still be...
(which replaces the Getz in most countries).
After the
Santro/Atos PrimeThe Hyundai Atos is a city car produced by the Hyundai Motor Company. The original Atos was introduced in 1997. In 1999, it was joined by the less controversially styled Atos Prime. It uses the G4HC Epsilon straight-4 engine...
, Hyundai needed a model to replace it and started a hatchback project codenamed
Hyundai PA.
The
Hyundai i10 (called the
Inokom i10 in
MalaysiaMalaysia is a country in Southeast Asia that consists of thirteen states and three Federal Territories, with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population stands at over 28 million inhabitants...
) is a
city carA city car is a small, moderately powered automobile intended for use in urban areas.It is comparable in size and features to a neighborhood electric vehicle , has four seats, and is typically long. These cars have been sold in Europe since the 1960s, and now are an official car classification....
(
hatchbackHatchback is a term designating an automobile design, containing a passenger cabin with an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind the vehicle by a single, top-hinged tailgate or large flip-up window...
) produced by the
Hyundai Motor CompanyHyundai Motor Company , a division of the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, is the world’s fourth largest automaker in terms of units sold and one of the Big Asian Four...
, launched on 31 October 2007, manufactured only in
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
, at Hyundai's
ChennaiChennai , formerly known as , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the fifth most populous city in India. Located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, Chennai city had a population of 4.34 million in the 2001...
Plant — and sold globally. Replacing the
Atos/Atos Prime/Amica/SantroThe Hyundai Atos is a city car produced by the Hyundai Motor Company. The original Atos was introduced in 1997. In 1999, it was joined by the less controversially styled Atos Prime. It uses the G4HC Epsilon straight-4 engine...
(except in India, where the lower-priced Santro Xing is still being sold below it), it is marketed below the
GetzThe Hyundai Click is a supermini car produced by the Hyundai Motor Company, sold in most of the world except the U.S. or Canada...
and
i20The Hyundai i20 made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in October 2008 and went on sale in December 2008 in India to fit between the i10 and i30. Three and five door versions are available. The i20 replaces the Getz in most markets but in the UK, Australia and India, the Getz will still be...
(which replaces the Getz in most countries).
Background
After the
Santro/Atos PrimeThe Hyundai Atos is a city car produced by the Hyundai Motor Company. The original Atos was introduced in 1997. In 1999, it was joined by the less controversially styled Atos Prime. It uses the G4HC Epsilon straight-4 engine...
, Hyundai needed a model to replace it and started a hatchback project codenamed
Hyundai PA. The car was to be manufactured in a new facility at Chennai, India.
Styling
The i10 has large gaping air-dam, pulled-back headlamps, chrome-lined grills, integrated clear lens fog lamps, the bonnet that has a clam shell hint and the rear window line has an upswept kink.
The tailgate has a chrome-lined boot-release handle and an integrated roof spoiler on the top end versions.
Overall length (3565 mm) and wheelbase (2380 mm) are identical to the Santro with slightly more interior space; Ergonomic design was intended to accommodate tall drivers and increasing rear knee room. The width has been increased (and front and rear track) by for more shoulder room. The height has been reduced by . Boot space at is significantly lower than that of Getz.
Interiors
The interior has a plastic dash housing with an optional integrated stereo. The instrument binnacle has a large white-faced speedometer flanked by the tachometer and fuel and temperature gauges.
The gear lever built into the central console leaving space between the front seats for a couple of cup holders.
Engines
The i10 was launched with a 1.1 litre (called the IRdE engine)
I4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is a four-cylinder internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a...
engine - the same motor used in the
Kia PicantoThe Kia Morning, known as the Kia Picanto in export markets , Kia New Morning in Vietnam and the Naza Suria in Malaysia, is a low cost city car produced in South Korea by Kia Motors .The Morning/Picanto is based on a shortened...
/
Hyundai Atos Prime/Santro XingThe Hyundai Atos is a city car produced by the Hyundai Motor Company. The original Atos was introduced in 1997. In 1999, it was joined by the less controversially styled Atos Prime. It uses the G4HC Epsilon straight-4 engine...
. However, it produces less CO2 emissions than the Picanto. The i10 also comes with a 1.2 litre petrol Euro-5 compliant engine (called the
Kappa engineHyundai's Kappa engine is a small straight-4 automobile engine.-1.2L:The 1.2L Variant is currently the only Kappa engine produced. This engine is gasoline powered, has DOHC, and uses an all-aluminum design. It delivers 84 BHP @ 5,200 RPM, and 82 ft.-lb of torque @ 4,000 RPM...
), with the same CO2 emissions as the 1.1 litre version. A 1.1 litre diesel variant is available but has not yet been introduced into the UK market.
Accolades and Feats
Hyundai i10 was widely recognized as "Car of the Year 2008" by various automotive magazines and TV channels in India like
BS Motoring, CNBC-TV18
AutoCar, NDTV
Profit Car & Bike India and
Overdrive magazine. The car was conferred with the
Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) by automotive media of the country.
In 2008, Hyundai commemorated 10 years of operations in India by initiating a trans-continental drive from Delhi to Paris in two of its i10 Kappa cars. The drive covered a distance of in just 17 days after which the i10s were showcased at the Paris Motor Show in October. At the Paris Motor Show Hyundai unveiled the
Hyundai i20The Hyundai i20 made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in October 2008 and went on sale in December 2008 in India to fit between the i10 and i30. Three and five door versions are available. The i20 replaces the Getz in most markets but in the UK, Australia and India, the Getz will still be...
.
Safety
The i10 features ABS, EBD and other safety features, which earned it high scores on the Euro NCAP crash tests.
- Adult Occupant: , score 26
- Child Occupant: , score 37
- Pedestrian: , score 21
The amount of safety features varies from market to market. While most countries have the i10 equipped with
airbagAn airbag is a vehicle safety device. It is an occupant restraint consisting of a flexible envelope designed to inflate rapidly in an automobile collision, to prevent vehicle occupants from striking interior objects such as the steering wheel or window....
s for all passengers, the entry-level 1.1
manual transmissionA manual transmission, or manual gearbox is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
model in the
PhilippinesThe Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
can be sold without airbags.
Since launch and as of August 2009,
electronic stability controlElectronic stability control is a computerized technology that improves the safety of a vehicle's stability by detecting and minimizing skids. When ESC detects loss of steering control, ESC automatically applies the brakes to help "steer" the vehicle where the driver intends to go...
(ESC) is still a special-order option for UK spec cars which prevents a full 5-star EuroNCAP score.
Official sites
Review/miscellaneous sites