Fleet demand means Hyundai is reconsidering its decision not to import the flagship diesel version of the i20 supermini.
There are currently two oil-burners available, both variants of the 1.4-litre unit with either 75 or 90PS. But now bosses have hinted they may also launch the 1.6-litre 128PS model that’s already on sale in Europe.
“We think there will be demand, particularly as a company car because it still emits only 115g/km of CO2,” said a spokesman.
Drawing comparisons with the UK popularity of the Skoda Fabia vRS, the spokesman suggested the car would also act as a halo model for the rest of the i20 range. “We could put a bodykit on it and perhaps tweak the suspension to give it a more dynamic performance,” he added.
Mated to a six-speed manual transmission, the car can reach 60mph in 10.4 seconds. That makes it considerably quicker than either of the 1.4-litre diesels, which take 13.6 or 16.2 seconds respectively.
No date has been set for when a decision would be taken, but the spokesman said the 1.6 would be launched “within a year” if the green light is given.
