There are different ways to name a new car. For one, you can use words that sound pleasant, enthusiastic, adventurous and those which ignite passion. Like when you hear Esteem, Fiesta, Endeavour or Swift. Another idea is to use names that form abbreviations like the SX4, CR-V or U-VA, for a cluster of words that generate the same sense as mentioned above. Yet another idea is to dive into a sea of Latin or French vocabulary and come up with words that sound better than when using their English equivalent. There you have the Zen Estilo and Palio Stile for a start. One of the least imaginative ways to name cars or anything for that matter is to use numbers for names like you have in hospital wards and prisons. This effortlessly allows the model range to have ‘names’ beginning with a low integer and going right up to the maximum for the top models. Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Peugeot and almost everyone except Hyundai has already done that. Now Hyundai not to be left behind has joined the bandwagon and announced the names for their future model range to be i10, i20, i30 etc. And then they bought an Oxford English dictionary, searched for all the words beginning with ‘i’, removed words like INSIPID, IDIOCY, IGNORANCE and ICEBERG and prepared a press material which ‘I’ was made to go through. There is every single word beginning with the letter ‘i’ to describe each aspect of the i10. They say it’s intelligent, innovative and that it has i-seats and i-gears. Well, ‘I’ had to find out.
Frankly, I cannot understand the need for the i10 neither did I think that there was a space for such a car until Hyundai pointed that out. Initially they had the capable Santro with a 1.1 litre engine and the Getz with a 1.3 litre engine which nicely rounded off the small car range. Then they detected a space between the two and introduced the Getz 1.1 which was a large car with a small engine. Not content with that, they have now introduced the i10 with the same 1.1 litre engine, which is basically a Santro left connected to the compressor, stretched and widened as a result. And that it has been developed and first shown in India and that Sharukh is the brand ambassador must help sales if the marketing people are right.
The rationale behind this exercise has to be the wide range of Maruti small cars like the Estilo, Alto and the Wagon R which share the underpinnings with each other and Hyundai hopes to take on the soon to be launched Splash, with the i10. The i10 looks like an imitation of the Santro but looks more purposeful. It is slightly larger in all dimensions and has an air of freshness all around it. The angular lines and the chiseled tail lights are noteworthy. The kink in the rear door and the black chin are design highlights that make the i10 different from everything else. Inside you get better quality plastics and good quality seats, i-seats according to the marketing team, which are seats with headrests neatly integrated into the backrest. The gear lever is mounted at the centre console which eases the operation. The steering and the dials remind you of the Santro and the centre console of the Verna. It comes with a very large boot as well.
Driving it is like the Santro itself, but it feels slightly more planted thanks to the wider footprint. The steering is very light which is a boon in city driving. The Santro engine has been tweaked to produce slightly more power which helps while overtaking, and the gearing is also adapted to city driving. It goes down to 20kmph in third gear. And the funny ‘on pogo-stick like’ ride quality of the Santro is gone. This one rides quite well over the potholes. So for all the improvements, this one has to be a Santro replacement. But it isn’t. The Santro will continue as such. Hyundai says this will give the customer ‘choice’ but we think it will give him ‘confusion’ instead.
The market has grown up to such a level that people are no longer interested in a particular model if it is more than three years old. So manufacturers resort to facelifts or replacements. Now, we can see that the manufacturers are trying to explore the possibilities of introducing new models which should ideally have been replacements for their older ones and selling them side by side. The Fiesta, Verna, Cedia and the Laura are all examples for this trend. As for the i10, it is an indigenously developed, iteration of the Santro if not a slightly illogical addition to the already invincible Hyundai range.
Frankly, I cannot understand the need for the i10 neither did I think that there was a space for such a car until Hyundai pointed that out. Initially they had the capable Santro with a 1.1 litre engine and the Getz with a 1.3 litre engine which nicely rounded off the small car range. Then they detected a space between the two and introduced the Getz 1.1 which was a large car with a small engine. Not content with that, they have now introduced the i10 with the same 1.1 litre engine, which is basically a Santro left connected to the compressor, stretched and widened as a result. And that it has been developed and first shown in India and that Sharukh is the brand ambassador must help sales if the marketing people are right.
The rationale behind this exercise has to be the wide range of Maruti small cars like the Estilo, Alto and the Wagon R which share the underpinnings with each other and Hyundai hopes to take on the soon to be launched Splash, with the i10. The i10 looks like an imitation of the Santro but looks more purposeful. It is slightly larger in all dimensions and has an air of freshness all around it. The angular lines and the chiseled tail lights are noteworthy. The kink in the rear door and the black chin are design highlights that make the i10 different from everything else. Inside you get better quality plastics and good quality seats, i-seats according to the marketing team, which are seats with headrests neatly integrated into the backrest. The gear lever is mounted at the centre console which eases the operation. The steering and the dials remind you of the Santro and the centre console of the Verna. It comes with a very large boot as well.
Driving it is like the Santro itself, but it feels slightly more planted thanks to the wider footprint. The steering is very light which is a boon in city driving. The Santro engine has been tweaked to produce slightly more power which helps while overtaking, and the gearing is also adapted to city driving. It goes down to 20kmph in third gear. And the funny ‘on pogo-stick like’ ride quality of the Santro is gone. This one rides quite well over the potholes. So for all the improvements, this one has to be a Santro replacement. But it isn’t. The Santro will continue as such. Hyundai says this will give the customer ‘choice’ but we think it will give him ‘confusion’ instead.
The market has grown up to such a level that people are no longer interested in a particular model if it is more than three years old. So manufacturers resort to facelifts or replacements. Now, we can see that the manufacturers are trying to explore the possibilities of introducing new models which should ideally have been replacements for their older ones and selling them side by side. The Fiesta, Verna, Cedia and the Laura are all examples for this trend. As for the i10, it is an indigenously developed, iteration of the Santro if not a slightly illogical addition to the already invincible Hyundai range.
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