The Motor Vehicles Department of the state of Kerala is one of the strictest when it comes to cracking down on modified cars. Recently, a video went viral online in which the Kerala MVD took extremely quick action against a modified Hyundai i20 owner whose vehicle was seen spitting huge flames out of its exhaust. Despite the number plate of this vehicle being missing, the MVD was able to track down the owner and managed to cancel the registration of the car.
This video showing the modified Hyundai i20 spitting flames from the exhaust was shared on Instagram by Reporter Live on their page. It starts off with a white-colored i20 with an aftermarket exhaust and alloy wheels, sitting on a lowered suspension and shooting flames out of its exhaust tips.
It can be seen that these flames were extremely long and the vehicle was very loud. In the clip, we can note that the rear number plate of this vehicle was replaced with a plate bearing the name of the owner’s Instagram handle. The people around this vehicle were seen enjoying the show and recording videos while it was shooting flames.
Soon after the first clip showing this i20 with flames coming out of the exhaust ends, a Kerala MVD official can be seen mentioning what happened with this particular modified vehicle. He highlights that even though the number plate of this vehicle was missing in the viral video, they managed to identify the owner. As per reports, he is a 24-year-old who received his driving licence in 2024.
Soon after the video went viral online, this particular Hyundai i20 was hidden by the owner to avoid its confiscation. However, after the authorities had a conversation with the owner, he agreed to surrender, and they will now not be seizing the vehicle. He added that the relatives of the owner of this i20 agreed to bring it to the police station.
As a result, the licence of the 24-year-old driver will be cancelled for one year, and the vehicle’s registration will be permanently cancelled. The official also mentioned that the young man does not have any previous licence-related punishments and confessed to making this video.
The Kerala MVD official in the video also highlighted that many people upload videos of such stunts and modified cars without their registration plates. They think that hiding the registration plate will make their vehicles untraceable. However, the MVD can now track any vehicle found violating rules, even if it does not have a registration number plate in the videos.
The officer also mentioned that they can track down any vehicle, along with the details of the owner and their address, within hours after a video goes viral. He added that the authorities are also on the lookout for such vehicles by regularly checking social media. So, it has been advised to ensure that such modifications are not done to vehicles, as they violate the Motor Vehicles Act and also cause environmental problems.
For those who may not be familiar with modifications and want to know how this particular Hyundai i20 was shooting such long flames, the answer is that this vehicle was given a “flame tune.” In such tunes, the engine’s ECU is reprogrammed and extra fuel is injected during deceleration or gear shifts.
Because of this, the fuel does not burn inside the engine cylinder. Instead, it travels into the hot exhaust system. Owners also add a straight-pipe or performance exhaust, which has less restriction and runs hotter. So when the unburnt fuel reaches the hot exhaust, it ignites and shoots out as flames.