It looks like Hyundai is gradually on its way to joining the list of carmakers ditching diesel-powered cars, if not wholly but partially. According to recent reports, Hyundai has stopped taking bookings for the diesel-powered variants of its compact offerings like the Grand i10 Nios and Aura. Hyundai has also discontinued the Santro hatchback as per the official website.

While the dealer outlets are not taking the bookings of these variants, the online booking section of Hyundai’s authorized website has also delisted the diesel-powered variants of these two cars. The Santro hatchback is not showing on the site.

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These moves indicate that Hyundai is departing from the diesel segment of the small car category. Hyundai is yet to make an official statement regarding the changes in its model line-up in India. It seems like the South Korean manufacturer will focus on high-volume variants of the cars.

Small diesel engines

Both the Grand i10 Nios and Aura were offered with a 1.2-litre three-cylinder diesel engine, apart from the 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated petrol and 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine options. The 1.2-litre diesel engine is the smallest oil burner in Hyundai India’s lineup of powertrains and replaced the ageing 1.1-litre three-cylinder diesel engine a few years ago in the Grand i10 and Xcent. This engine was available with both the transmission options of 5-speed manual and 5-speed AMT in both Grand i10 Nios and Aura, with the maximum power and torque outputs of 75 PS and 190 Nm respectively.

With this possible discontinuation of diesel variants, both Grand i10 Nios and Aura are now available with only two petrol-powered engine options. The volume generator among these two petrol engines is the 1.2-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine, which makes 83 PS of power and 114 Nm of torque and is available with both 5-speed manual and 5-speed AMT gearbox options. There is also a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which produces 100 PS of power and 172 Nm of torque and comes with a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard.

The discontinuation of diesel variants of Grand i10 Nios and Aura means that the most affordable diesel-powered car from Hyundai is now the i20 premium hatchback. The Hyundai i20 is offered with a 1.5-litre diesel engine, which produces 100 PS of power and 240 Nm of torque. While this engine is shared with the Hyundai Venue in the same state of tune, this engine is also available in a higher state of tune – 115 PS of power and 250 Nm of torque – in more premium Hyundai offerings like Verna and Creta.

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