Hyundai Eon to get 1-litre 3-cylinder engine

Hyundai’s Eon, for an entry-level car, delivers a lot of style and interior quality but with the likes of the Datsun Go and Maruti Alto K10 in the fray, falls short on performance from its 814cc engine. To negate this disadvantage, Hyundai is secretly testing a more powerful 1-litre engine in the Eon with an expected launch in a few months time. Work has been on since a while on the new engine at Hyundai's R&D centre in Hyderabad.

This engine will be a 3-cylinder unit based on the 1.2-litre Kappa motor and should develop between 60-65PS of peak power and approximately 90Nm of torque. That’s a 15-20 percent performance upgrade to the current 814cc 3-cylinder unit. The engine will be sold alongside the smaller powerplant and will command a slight premium over this block. 

The 1.2-litre Kappa is a gem of an engine which was first introduced in the i10 in 2010. It’s peppy and responsive with even slight throttle inputs and is willing to rev to the limit. The chopped three-cylinder unit should have similar characteristics despite the missing cylinder. 

The Eon is a well equipped car with unrivalled features in its class. This will carry forward to the Eon with the 1-litre engine. Expect a minor nip and tuck job as well when the new engine is introduced as the Eon is over two and a half years old.