Hyundai considers i30 station wagon
June 3, 2008 by David Twomey
Korean carmaker Hyundai is considering introducing a station wagon version of its very successful i30 small car into the Australian market in the near future.
Caradvice has had a look at two pre-production models of the wagon, called a Cross Wagon by Hyundai and badged as the i30CW, and we would think there is a definite market for the vehicle in Australia.
Hyundai product planning manager Ben Hershman, said the company was looking at just what spec and trim levels it would bring the i30CW in and indicated that the two we looked at, a cloth trim base model and a luxury trim leather model were both likely to be selected.
He said the company was still deciding if it would bring both petrol and diesel engines in in the i30CW but indicated at was almost certain that the diesel engine would be selected.
He said test use of the vehicles had shown they were ideal for young families and said the rear cargo space was large enough to accommodate a stroller, an major criteria for the young families who will buy this sort of vehicle.
Mr Hershman also indicated that he believed there was a growing move towards station wagon type vehicles as many people looked at their options and potentially moved away from the compact SUV vehicles which have been very popular with this market in recent years.
He acknowledged that with the i30 already constrained by supply there may be little point adding another model immediately.
However, Hyundai will soon have a plant in the Czech Republic to build i30s for the European market and this will free up production from Korea to service the Australian market.
The CW has a slightly lengthened wheelbase over the i30 hatchback now on sale in Australia and a slightly longer overhang , which together provide it with a reasonable load carrying space behind the rear seats, which feature a 60/40 split.
The vehicles we looked at both had alloy wheels , the lower spec running on 16-inch, and the up-spec vehicle on 17-inch.
The interiors were very similar to the current hatchbacks although the cloth trimmed wagon’s brown trim seemed unlikely to find favour in Australia. However, the black leather trim had a very high quality, luxury look and feel to it.
If the i30CW is given the go ahead Caradvice expects we will see it on the market early in 2009.
- David Twomey
Print it: 
*****PRIMO!*****
Good,
In ulp form!
Cheers,
F-0
They allready selling a i30 SW here in Portugal :S
i this a way to justify their executive salaries???
What’s there to consider?…..just make sure they bring enough diesel’s and these things will sell themselves!!! even a monkey can see that!
i think Hyundai has waited too long already.
^^^meant…Is this a way to justify their salaries^^^
should sell well i reckon.
but arent they already having trouble keeping up with the demand for the i30 hatch let alone if another variant was introduced.
Lack of space in the rear for my golf gear is the only thing that stopped me buying the current model.Seems a very nice design which should do well in Australia (so long as they
don’t just make the diesel available with an auto trans of course).Mr Hershman is saying exactly what I think and it’s the reason I still hold on to my Vectra wagon as there’s nothing to replace it with currently.
Looks good, the I30 is growing on me. Does anyone know what the quality is like when it comes to the Kia diesel under the bonnet?
I may be wrong but Kia has a bad reputation for poor quality engines????
the less softroaders out there the better
hmm.. looks much better and practical IMO… but that auto gearbox.. 4 speed? :S
The wagon looks very practical, there seems to be a fair bit of space in the rear.
Diesel with manual or auto options would hit the mark.
There is no bad Kia engine reputation – the V6 in the people movers had a fault causing cracked blocks – Kia replaced them all even when out of their 3 year warranty. Now all Kia and Hyundai have 5 year warranty.
Fair enough Reckless1, an I30 diesel wagon is starting to sound alot better.
I still think the Kia Cee’d would be good here too, in all of it’s forms.
Smart move Hyundai! An i30 diesel manual with full size spare, roof rails, leather and 17’s would go great in Aus. Bring it over. Very clever, that will hurt Corolla sales!
I hope they bring the wagon to Oz, IMO it looks better than the hatch.
When I scanned down on the CarAdvice homepage it just looked like the standard hatch. But no it has got alot more room. Should do well!
I like the look of the wagon more than the hatch. For me its a toss up between the I30 and Lancer.
The Lancer wagon will possible be out this year as well, will be able to compare both of them.
I find the Lancer looks better at the moment but there is a $2,000 price difference, which makes a difference.
It’s very cleverly designed to look little different to the hatch that’s finding a lot of favour.
The diesel model will be a cracker, sales-wise.
The only problem Hyundai will have is keeping up supply’s of the wagon. They already have serious supply issues for the i30 & I just hope they don’t have the same problems again. I think Hyundai overestimated the popularity of the i30 in Australia & have been caught out “big” time. It goes to show if you produce a good quality car at a reasonable price then people will buy it. Also, I agree that the i30 wagon would be a more practical option than the i30 hatch.
Cheers !
Lightbulb, good point but I think you meant underestimated.
Build it and they will come.
Jimbo: You are correct & I should have said “underestimated”. Still, you have to wonder though how many potential sales they have lost due to supply issues for the i30 as a lot of people just wont wait 3 or 4 months for a car no matter how good it is.
Cheers !
Yeah I know, if I was buying a Hyundai, 2-4 weeks tops if I asked for an unusual colour.
Light bulb – the article states a new production factory in the Czech Rep. so this will assist in their current production shortfall.
As far as the diesel bit goes Jimbo, Hyundai are fairly new to the diesel market It’s no market leader in speed performance, I wouldn’t have a reliability issues with them. This little unit seems to be pretty good for economy as far as people are saying.
Frugal – you’re being a goose again. LPG not worthy mate ;) Come on you normally well informed.
I30 Wagon looks good , had a couple of Hayundi`s Lantra Wagon the Elantra 2 litre sedan auto , good goers reliable but awkard to get in and out of needed some thing higher , knees giving out , got a Jazz WWounderful but would like some thing bigger , so may give one a go .
The 1.6/4 has been approved abd listed for Australia.
Any idea when it will be released
That’s 1.6 ULP, NOT DIEsel rubbish
Cheers,
F-0