Hyundai has ended Maruti’s domination of topping the fuel efficiency charts with its 1.2L Kappa engine i10. The new Bharat Stage-4 version of this engine has achieved an amazing 19.8km/l when undergoing certification at ARAI. This makes it the most fuel efficient petrol engine car behind the Tata Nano. For a comparison, the BS III A-Star managed 19.6km/l and we have to wait for the BS IV results of the K-Series engine.  To add to the delight, i10 has also become the best selling model in India in the ‘above 1000cc category’ beating the WagonR.

During FY 2009-2010, Hyundai shifted 149,242 i10s out of Indian dealerships breaking all the previous records. Commenting on this, Arvind Saxena, Director, Marketing and Sales, HMIL, said, “The extraordinary fuel-efficiency of Hyundai i10, best among the petrol cars in its segment emphasizes Hyundai’s overall technology leadership in making highly fuel-efficient cars. We hope that the best-in-class mileage of i10 will enable us to increase our market share by reaching out to a larger customer base. We are also glad that i10 continues to be No.1 in its segment. This reflects the confidence customers place in our brands”.

Looks like Maruti Suzuki has its task cut out to get win back both the tags back – ‘India’s most fuel efficient hatchback’ and the ‘largest selling car above 1000cc.’ Will Maruti be able to do it? Let’s wait and watch.