Hyundai QXI/Styx powertrain details revealed ahead of official debut

- The American-spec Hyundai QXI will be showcased at the 2019 New York Motor Show.

- Will be the entry-level model from Hyundai in the US market.

- To be powered by two petrol and one diesel engine with a choice of DCT automatic. 

Hyundai has big plans for 2019 which includes an onslaught of no less than 13 new models. One of the new models in the list is the all-new sub-4 metre SUV, codenamed the QXI, which will debut as a Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza rival in India. The US-spec QXI will be revealed at the upcoming 2019 New York Motor Show. Ahead of the event, details regarding the powertrain of the new compact SUV have been released. 

Under the hood of the new QXI (likely to adopt the Styx moniker), there will be a choice of three engine options – a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol making 100hp and 172Nm, 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol, and a 1.4-litre four-cylinder diesel from the Verna. Transmission could be a five- or six-speed manual with the probability of an AMT as well. However, the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol is likely be mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. This means that the QXI will be the only one in its segment with a DCT automatic after the EcoSport replaced its DCT with a torque converter with the facelift. 

Appearance wise, the QXI will resemble a scaled-down Creta. It will have a similar silhouette with cascading grille upfront. And being a Hyundai, the cabin will have all the bells and whistles expected from its segment and some more.

Meanwhile, in the American market, the all-new Styx will be positioned below the Kona in the same way as it will be slotted in below the Creta in India. Rumours have it that it will bear a more traditional body style and will be the entry-level model for the Korean carmaker in America. In the US-spec, the Styx will be underpinned by the same architecture as the Hyundai Grand i10 and Kia Picanto and will be aimed at younger buyers unlike that of the Kona. With the QXI/Styx, Hyundai aims to create a niche for itself in the A-segment of the American market. 

In India, the QXI is one of the eight new products Hyundai plans to launch by 2020. The list of new products also includes the new-gen Santa Fe, updated Elantra apart from the new generation of the Grand i10, Xcent, Elite i20, and the Creta. Meanwhile, Hyundai will also bring in the Kona EV to India, which will be locally assembled at the carmaker’s Tamil Nadu facility.

When the Hyundai QXI is launched in India in the months to come, it will go up against the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport and the recently launched Mahindra XUV300. 

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