While spy shots of the updated i20 at Hyundai’s stockyard had already surfaced on the web, the car has got its official reveal at Auto Expo 2018. Prices for the i20 facelift start at Rs 5.34 lakh, and the mid-life update brings a fairly extensive change in terms of appearance. Its two-part grille has been replaced with a single-piece 'Cascade' grille similar to the one seen on the Verna and Elantra. As for other cosmetic changes, the refreshed i20 features restyled bumpers, projector headlamps with chrome inserts, and a new design for the alloy wheels. The rear end is quite different to the outgoing car, with the registration plate housing being repositioned from the bumper to the boot lid.

On the inside, the updated i20 gets minor tweaks. The most noticeable change is the shift to a more advanced 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. Hyundai is also offering its Auto-Link software that transmits key vehicle information straight to a linked mobile phone. 

Engine options have been carried over and the refreshed i20 continues with the 1.2-litre, 83hp petrol and the 1.4-litre, 90hp diesel units. And while the choice of manual transmissions stays the same (five-speed on the petrol and six-speed on the diesel), the big news is the arrival of a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) that is mated to the 1.2-litre Kappa engine. This, in effect, replaces the 1.4-litre petrol variant that was mated to a four-speed torque converter and made for the European market. It was introduced in India in September 2016 but never caught on because of its lofty pricing. Hyundai will launch the 1.2 CVT i20 in May this year. 

As India is a key market for Hyundai, and expecting a 7-8 percent rise in the demand for automatics in 2018, Hyundai has invested in a new transmission tailored specifically for the country. With the smaller 1.2-litre petrol engine, the i20 gets the benefit of the lower ‘small car’ tax rate (12.5 percent) which applies to cars under four metres in length, with petrol engines under 1,200cc. The 1.4-litre i20 attracted a much higher duty of 24 percent. This massive tax saving allows Hyundai to price the i20 automatic more competitively and take the Baleno CVT and Honda Jazz CVT head-on. The new CVT will also make the i20 facelift more fuel efficient, but unfortunately, there are no paddleshifters on offer.