A supermini car, the Hyundai i20 was released in 2008 and was meant to replace the Hyundai Getz though the Getz was not phased out in most parts of the globe until 2011. While the i20 is made by a South Korean automobile manufacturer, this car is not available in South Korea because it will compete with the Accent hatchback. The same goes for North America.

The i20 made use of a completely new platform from Hyundai which allowed the South Korean automobile manufacturer to participate in the highly competitive segment of superminis in the European market. For starters, it has a spacious passenger cabin, and was deemed to be a very safe car as it earned a 5-star rating from Euro NCAP with its six airbags and special break system that offers better control in slippery environments.

The Hyundai i20 debuted with seven engine options, three of which are petrol and the rest diesel engines. Manual and automatic transmission systems are both available on the i20, with five-speed and six-speed options available for the former and a four-speed option offered for the latter. The kind of engine an i20 comes with is mainly dictated by the market it is sold in. For example, the i20 is offered with different engine options in India and Australia.