Facelifted Hyundai i10 revealed ahead of Paris debut

Hyundai Motor has updated the i10 with a new look and new safety tech for the European market. The new i10's most noticeable update is the front grille, which will appear on all future models from the Korean brand. Hyundai says that the facelifted i10 will be its first car to feature this new signature design.

The updated i10 gets a new front bumper and round LED daytime running lights. The rear bumper is also updated with the evolved design, including new materials for the rear lights, a new black inlay as well as round rear fog lamps complementing the front design.

Its interior gets updated with a new dual-tone dashboard. Besides the red colour scheme, customers can also opt for blue and black interior colours on all trims.

Hyundai also gives the i10 a new seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which features Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as well as its own SatNav system.

Moving to the safety, the new i10 offers two advanced features to avoid accidents - a front collision warning system (FCWS) and a lane departure warning system (LDWS). Using front camera sensors, FCWS alerts the driver if the sensors detect collision dangers, whereas LDWS alerts if the driver makes unsafe movements while driving over 60kmph. In addition, the LDWS can sound an alarm to alert the driver if the car moves over lane markings. We don't expect Hyundai India to add these to the upcoming Grand i10 facelift as these features push a car's price up significantly.

Other important updates on the i10 include a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, 14-inch alloy wheels and revisions to the steering ratio.

The new i10 comes with the same engine options - 1.0-litre and 1.25-litre petrol. The motor is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard, with an optional 4-speed automatic. Hyundai has also introduced a fuel-efficient BlueDrive version. Expect Hyundai to continue with the same set of engines - 1.2-litre Kappa 2 petrol and the 1.1-litre U2 CRDi diesel - here in India.

The facelifted car will make its debut at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, but isn't likely to go on sale until January 2017 in Europe. The Hyundai Grand i10 has been one of the most successful models for the Korean manufacturer in India. It has upset the Swift apple cart by a huge margin. However, ever since its launch in 2013, Hyundai India haven't updated the car. Earlier this year, the touchscreen infotainment system was introduced with the Grand i10 celebration edition. This facelift will work wonders and will give the now flagging Grand i10 sales, a shot in the arm. However, as we know, most of the features showcased with the international-spec i10 will not be available in the Indian version. Expect Hyundai to launch it sometime in India next year.

The Grand i10 face lift was caught testing recently in India. Read about it here.