Hyundai Motor India''s much-awaited mid-size sedan, the Accent, is now ready for the Indian market. Bookings for the car will begin on 21 October. With its innovative scheme, Hyundai will start despatches from its Chennai plant from day one of booking. The full price of the car has to be paid at the time of the booking.

There is also an element of surprise in the pricing of the vehicle. While the market expected the Accent to priced in the Rs 6 - 7 lakh range, Hyundai has fixed the price for the base model of the car at Rs 5.35 lakh, the GLE model with power steering at Rs 5.60 lakh, and the top end model GLS at Rs 5.85 lakh.

The pricing will give the Accent, with all its features, a head-start in the mid-size car segment. Its main rivals here are Opel''s Astra, Honda''s City, Ford''s Escort, Fiat''s Siena and Daewoo''s Nexia. Hyundai officials claim that the Accent will offer the technology and luxury of a Mitsubishi Lancer, priced at Rs 7.80 lakh at the base level, at a little more than the Maruti''s Esteem''s price of Rs 4.76 lakh (Esteem LX, ex-showroom).

The Accent has a four-cylinder, 12-valve, 1,500 cc, 94 bhp petrol engine, manufactured at the company''s Chennai plant. Hyundai rates the car''s fuel efficiency at 14 km per litre of petrol in city driving conditions. At test sites, the car has given a mileage of 24.6 km per litre.

Air-conditioning and heating system form part of the Accent''s standard accessories, while rear and front power windows and central locking systems are optional. The car will be available in six colours: noble white, imperial red, Indian blue, Amazon green, golden beige, and neutral silver.

Hyundai is awaiting the Supreme Court''s verdict on diesel cars to introduce the diesel variant of the Accent. This version will be powered by the popular Peugeot TUD5 engine.

Hyundai, which has met with success in India for its Santro compact cars,  has invested nearly $70 million in the Accent project in India. The South Korean car major has spent nearly $1.2 billion in R&D costs for the car.

Developed from the basic design of Hyundai''s small car models, the Accent was a big draw at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The Indian version differs from the international version in terms of style, especially in the grille areas. The Indian Accent will sport "a grille with a grin".

Meanwhile, Ford India is understood to have taken on the challenge. It is reported to have decided to peg the price of its Ikon model at less than Rs 5 lakh. This will mean undercutting nearly all other players in the mid-size car segment. The company is expected to make a formal announcement of the price on 26 October. The Ikon has a new 90 bhp, 1.6-litre SOHC petrol engine.