The car was targeted primarily at the Indian market and intended for production in India, given the popularity of hatchback subcompacts in the country.

The i10 has a large air dam, pulled-back headlamps, chrome lined grille, fog lamps, and a rear window with an up swept kink.

The tailgate has a chrome lined boot release handle, and a roof spoiler on the top end versions.

The instrument binnacle has a large white faced speedometer, flanked by the tachometer and fuel and temperature gauges.

The gear shifter is built into the center console, leaving space between the front seats for two cup holders.

The i10 was launched with a 1.1 liter 65 bhp (48 kW; 66 PS) I4 iRDE engine, the same motor used in the Kia Picanto and Hyundai Atos Prime/Santro Xing but with lower CO2 emissions.

[6][needs update] In 2010 Hyundai launched a facelifted version of the i10 in India which uses a Kappa II engine with VTVT Variable valve timing.

[12][13] In 2008, Hyundai commemorated 10 years of operations in India by initiating a transcontinental drive from Delhi to Paris in two of its i10 Kappa cars.

The drive covered a distance of 10,000 kilometres (6,200 mi) in just 17 days after which the i10s were showcased at the Paris Motor Show in October.

Since launch and as of August 2009, electronic stability control (ESC) was an order option for United Kingdom spec cars which prevents a five star Euro NCAP score.

Originally planned for release in the beginning of 2014, the development of the new i10 started in India in 2012, using the Kia Picanto as a test mule for individual parts.

[34] Production of the i10 commenced at Hyundai Assan Otomotiv's plant in İzmit, Turkey, in the end of September 2013, at an annual capacity of 200,000 units.

[35] In addition to the previous generation, its equipment includes, depending on the version, automatic air conditioning, daytime running lights, curtain airbags, Tyre pressure monitoring system, hill-start-assist, and as options – cruise control, rear parking sensors, heated steering wheel and front seats or 15-inch alloy wheels.

[38] In addition, the car is equipped with rear AC vents and 1GB internal memory to store music, which are both first in its segment.

[38][39] In February 2014, Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) announced details on the Philippine market version of the Grand i10.

[43] Prior to the official unveiling of the Grand i10, Hyundai Motor India revealed that a sedan variant will be launched in 2014.

It is designed to fit in the popular sub-4 metre sedan segment in India which emerged after the government imposed heavier tax for cars longer than 4,000 mm (157.5 in) in length.

magazine gave the car a five-star rating, commenting that it "represents a major step forward over its predecessor – to the point where it's an extremely tempting alternative to a VW Up, and not just on price.

"[48] Matt Burt of Autocar gave it four and a half out of five stars, calling it "one of the most accomplished and well-rounded offerings in the city car segment, and has road manners that would embarrass a few much larger (and more expensive) vehicles.

The European i10 (codename: AC3) was revealed a month after the Indian model, just ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2019.

[58] Both the engines get Idle Stop and Go (ISG) as standard, which helps improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions.

[60][61] The third-generation i10, marketed as the Grand i10 Nios was launched on 20 August 2019 in India and offered in 10 variants across petrol and diesel engines as well as manual and automatic transmissions.

Hyundai cut the starting prices and also changed the naming convention from “Motion” and “Fluid” trim grades to “Premium” and “Executive”.

Inside, all facelifted Grand i10 variants have black cloth-and-vinyl upholstery with red accents, a height-adjustable driver’s seat and tilt-adjustable steering column, a multifunction steering wheel, manual aircon, electric windows all round, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system which features Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto, a Type-C USB fast charger (front), a reverse-view camera and rear air vents.

As before, the entry-level engine for the hatchback (including the Cargo-badged panel van) is a naturally aspirated 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol motor, which generates an unchanged 49 kW/94 Nm.

Standard safety features across the range include dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and ISOfix child-seat anchors, though stability control is again not present.

Though AEB, Lane Keep Assist and steering-based driver monitoring are present, Euro NCAP states "The system performed marginally in tests of its detection and reaction to other vehicles".