New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS) Bollywood icon Shahrukh Khan, the brand ambassador of car maker Hyundai Motors, Wednesday unveiled the electric version of the company’s i10 model at Pragati Maidan, the venue of the 10th Auto Expo here.
“I was very nostalgic coming to Pragati Maidan. My father used to have a stall here 30 years ago,” Khan said at the event, where he also unveiled two other Hyundai models — Genesis Coupe and the i-mode.

Hyundai’s marketing and sales director Arvind Saxena said i10’s “immense popularity” had inspired his company to come out with an electric version.

“These cars will ensure zero-carbon emissions and help address the concerns of environmentalists,” Saxena said, but did not provide any details about the launch of the new model, called the i10 Electric.

The i10 Electric offers dual recharging cycles and would take around five hours to be fully charged, which will enable the car to run for 160 km.

Hyundai sells about 12,000 i10 units a month, compared to 7,000 units of Santro, its flagship model. Incidentally, i10 is priced higher than the Santro.

The company is now planning to expand its network, Saxena said, adding: “We have today spread over 260 cities, and have 286 dealers and 80 sales branches. We plan to expand to 320 cities and 1,340 branches this year.”