A five-door, semi-notchback car was launched recently by Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), the country’s second largest auto manufacturer. It is yet another variant of the popular Accent, which is now available in six models.

The car shown to the media was a "Passion Red" Viva with dumpers and door handles of the same colour. It is powered by the Tornado 1600 cc, code name Alpha 16 valve DOHC engine. The car has a four-in-line engine, with distributorless ignition and multipoint fuel injection. The vehicle has a 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive. The steering is rack and pinion with power assistance, which makes for easy manoeuvrability.

The standard features of the Viva are its super dynatrac suspension with McPherson Struts and stabiliser bar in front and dual-link coil springs with anti-roll bar at the rear. Power steering with tilt power windows, power antennae, rear defogger, internally adjustable outride rear-view mirrors (ORVM) and a dual-fired digital ignition are some of its standard features.

Exclusive to the Viva is its anti-lock brake system. The front brakes have 9.5-inch ventilated discs, while the rear ones have 7-inch self-adjusting drums. There is a disc pad wear warning chip. The booster capacity is 9 inches, while the master cylinder has a tandem piston. All this put together makes for an almost foolproof braking system.

The tyres are 185/60 R 14 shod on 5Jx15 aluminium alloys.

The Viva is highlighted (literally) by fog lamps, and has a very different front grille. It has a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The gear knob is also wrapped in leather. The music system has a remote. In addition, you have the rear-window defogger and wash and wipe with intermittent speeds.

Terracan, a sports utility vehicle (SUV), would be introduced by year-end. This 4x4 is eagerly awaited by the off-roader aficionado and will open up a new dimension to motoring in India, making the country shrink a little more.

Another ace up HMIL’s sleeve is likely to be the introduction of a diesel engine. It will probably be the Common Rail Diesel Engine (CRDE), which may also be available by year-end. Bosch, manufacturer of components, is developing this system for HMIL.

The NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) levels of the Viva conform to the legendry Hyundai tradition. Hyundai explains this factor as follows, "noise, vibration and harshness dampening are a function of design intelligence of the Accent. Every single component in this car has been designed to work in perfect harmony so that none of the components create a harmonic misbalance. This is the secret of the ultra low NVH levels that you will find in the Accent."

The ex-showroom price of the car in Delhi will be Rs 6.80 lakh.

Happy motoring!