After the Swift Dzire ran away with the compact sedan market a few years ago, every other mass manufacturer has been desperate to get in on the action. Hyundai says subcompact sedans account for 81 per cent of the compact sedan market and has now debuted the Xcent. (Watch: First look at Hyundai Xcent)
The idea is to play up its old faithful Accent nameplate as it is aimed at a similar buyer. The Xcent is basically the sedan bodystyle avatar of the Grand i10 hatch. And just like that Xcent will be available with petrol and diesel variants, as well manual and automatic gearboxes. (See pics)
The market launch of the car will happen in the last week of March. Hyundai is expected to be just as aggressive on pricing as it was with the Grand i10. So expect very competitive and attractive prices. The car's base variant is unlikely to offer any major safety equipment, though higher grades will have airbags and ABS braking. Other features at the top-end include keyless entry, push button start-stop, rear AC vents, etc.
If Hyundai gets pricing spot-on the Xcent could be cause for worry to the market leader - Maruti Suzuki, besides the other rivals from Honda, Tata et al. The subcompact sedan space is definitely very hot right now. After the Honda Amaze last year, the Auto Expo week has kicked off with future subcompact sedans from Tata, Ford and now Hyundai.
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