Hyundai set to turn up the heat in Paris

By Anthony Crawford | September 04th, 2008

“Fast rising automotive star Hyundai wants to be the number one carmaker in the world. Don’t laugh, I’m betting it will happen sooner rather than later”

- Anthony Crawford

I haven’t met a motoring journo who doesn’t rate Hyundai’s i30, at least one with all his or her faculties in perfect working order.

It’s a brilliant package, especially the 1.6 CRDi variant, which set a new benchmark in the affordable small car class with its superior fit and finish.

Similar success was afforded their medium size SUV, the Santa Fe, which proved that quality was affordable, at least when it had a Hyundai badge on the grille.

And let’s not forget their commercial division popping out the attractive Rear Wheel Drive iMax and iLoad.

Mondial de L’Automobile 2008, is arguably the largest car show in the world and a fitting location for Hyundai to showcase a new generation of “H” cars.

First off the blocks is the sub compact i20, designed in Hyundai’s European Design Centre in Germany and all set for a launch in the first quarter of 2009.

It looks to be a stylish five-door with a longer wheelbase than the current Getz as well as more interior space and better equipped.

This is a car designed and engineered for European tastes and needs. That won’t hurt buyers in Australia one little bit. The i20 is built on a new platform with ride and handling tuned to provide a “firm and agile drive”.

But if you are a darker shade of green than the average punter, then you might want to hang back and wait for the i20 i-blue concept to roll off the production line.

The wait might be worth it if you’re looking for a significant reduction in emissions and fuel consumption. That’s a staggering 3.4L/100km and a CO2 output of just 99g/km.

The i20 i-blue, is powered by Hyundai’s all new 1.4 CRDi diesel engine producing 66kW and 220Nm of torque. To help achieve these numbers, drive is through a six speed manual gearbox instead of the standard five-speed box.

Aerodynamics also play a big part with modifications including full length under body covers, front and rear aerodynamics tuning, reduced ground clearance, low rolling resistance tyres and low friction engine oil.

Another concept heading to Paris is the Santa Fe Petrol-Electric Hybrid which although is said to look like the existing model, it is essentially a new vehicle under the skin.

Powered by a hybrid drive system with the current 2.4-litre petrol engine to a six-speed auto transmission and a 30kW electric motor. The end result is a CO2 output of 148g/km and fuel consumption of 5.3L/100km. This is an SUV we are talking about!

The seven seat Hyundai Veracruz went head to head with Lexus’s super luxury SUV crossover and won! It was the better vehicle said US magazine Motor Trend, in 2007.

Here in Australia we should get the Veracruz next March, while Europe will get a restyled and retuned model called the ix55. Not doubt it will be a firmer ride and more communicative than the US Veracruz.

I’m hoping you are aware of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe by now, given the number of news articles posted on this superb looking rear wheel drive car.

Hyundai will display the Genesis saloon, based on the same drive platform as the coupe, but with a bare carbon fibre bonnet and roof, for improved road manners.

I’m also hoping Hyundai Australia also takes a good look at the i10 with fuel prices still around the $1.30 mark.

http://electronicadvice.org eddie

i own huyndai 2004. its effecient with gas. from the pictures above show huyndai does a lot of improvement.

go huynday…go huynday..:)
Wake up Honda!!

3.4L/100km ? Oh my god… Toyota you are dead soon
http://. Naughtyius Maxiumus

Like I said yonks ago…..sleeping giant is awakening and these models and mega svelte stylish updates is testament to Hyundai becoming a mega major player! Toyota is at top for not long…..you have a hard hitting Hyundai running up hill in a “very” short time!
FRUGAL_ONE

NO!

HYUNDAI will NEVER overtake BIGT, but going past Ford, VW and GM [who all make rubbish] is on the cards

Cheers

F-0
http://www.caradvice.com.au Lightbulb

I agree Hyundai are a sleeping giant which all the major manufacturers should watch out for. If anybody doubts the quality of their cars, just take a test drive & you will see how good they really are. The quality of their interiors is impressive, particularly in the i30 with the use of very solid materials that is well finished. Make no mistake, Hyundai are indeed serious about becoming number one & at the rate they are moving up the ladder, this is going to happen sooner rather than later.

Cheers !
WVB

I’m not so sure. For me, being #1 isnt necessarily about the car but respect the manufacturer has gained in the industry that being the repair and supply. I can remember what a p.o.s the excel was. I was following a smokey granduer with peeling paint on its top side just yesterday. They’re not that old.
It will take longer than you think for the H brand to get this status just as it did for the japanese makers. They’ve only just begun to make/sell a decent product when you consider they’ve been in australia for 20 years selling trash for most of these.
Reckless1

Petrol still at $1.30 – that’s a dream number in Melbourne.

Try $1.45 at the cheapest without a docket.

I think Hyundai will go past Ford, VW just has. If they want to go past Toyota, they’ll have to start cheapening their product down, because the specs are too high. Remember the Toyota buying public has swallowed the “reliability” marketing and Hyundai will have a hard time penetrating closed minds.

GM and Ford are both in deep mire, but will come out of it eventually; they’ll look at their markets and wonder where their customers went while they were ill. And a long way behind.

They’ll have a hard time passing VW as well, since VW has a massive foothold in China driving their growth. VW has a bigger parts bucket and a far wider range of vehicles as well, so it will be many years before Hyundai can beat that, and VW isn’t driving blind like the Yanks have been.

So in 5 years, I reckon it will be Toyota, VW, Hyundai, and GM & Ford a distant 4th & 5th.
Ha

wvb/ Smokey grandeur? Ha Ha Ha…BMW 7 will be smokey BMW too, if owner is negligent in changing oil….
si1982

Good on Hyundai, we need some manufacturers to shake up the market every so often rather than strap on new bodies onto the same platform across the whole range…

As they say – you drive one VW and you have driven them all including Audis!

The Hyundai i10 is getting rave reviews in UK, wonder if it will make it to Australia? As the name suggests it sits below the i20 and getz segment… Afforable little city car with enough room for atleast 4 adults….
Ha

I did test drive Toyota Hiace diesel and then Hyundai Iload diesel yesterday ….Iload is miles better…Hiace is simply rubbish compared to Iload..Wake up Toyota…You will be in big trouble sooner rather than later…
Eddy The Expert

Ha Says:
September 4th, 2008 at 10:13 am
I did test drive Toyota Hiace diesel and then Hyundai Iload diesel yesterday ….Iload is miles better…Hiace is simply rubbish compared to Iload..Wake up Toyota…You will be in big trouble sooner rather than later…

——————————————————————-

I agree totally. Recently drove both of these as well and decided to buy the iLoad over the HiAce. Better performance, more equipment, nicer to drive, longer warranty. Need I go on?
Tony M

Lets get real here, Hyundai being number 1 in the automotive world. I think not and it’s not because they don’t make good if not great cars. Th biggest industrial nation in the world is China and if any one is going to be number 1 it will come from China. They represent just over a quarter of the worlds population, they have a growth of about 9% when the rest of the world is bordering on recession. No, if I were GM, Ford, Toyota I would be looking at China not Korea.
WVB

…..that won’t improve no matter how many times you change your oil!!
Baji

Anthony, I thought australia wasn’t going to be getting the veracruz? Didn’t one of the hyundai australia executives state that australians weren’t ready to pay more than $50k for a hyundai?
flo

GM shot themselves in the foot. They should have held on to their 20% share in Fiat and the 17.5% share they had in Suzuki. Fiat after all makes the some of the best small capacity diesel engines and cars.
Whereas Suzuki makes some of the best small engined petrol cars.

Btw regarding a post made earlier. I do not think that the next big manufacture will come from China. I think Tata Motors from India could possibly be the next big thing.
Especially with their acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover and the soon to be launch $2,500 Tata Nano car.
WVB

if we had classroom full of car manufacturers doing an exam right now, Toyota, Honda, Mercedes Benz & VW would the only ones with their heads down feverishly working on tomorrows big plans. The french & italians would be arguing, the british picking their nose and the Koreans, Chinese & Americans would be the ones looking around the room over shoulders.
sam

Nice One VWB.

And the Australian Manufacturers would be asking the teacher for donations.
FRUGAL_ONE

Eddy The Expert -

BIGT are NOT worried about hyundai in the slightest, they sell every single HiAce without a ounce of problem [hyundai would LOVE to have that issue! ]

In fact some models are 4 month wait list….

BIGT could just buy hyundai with petty cash and burn it for a bit of sport if it thus wanted

Cheers

F-0
Jimbo

First of all,
FRUGAL_ONE – VW make rubbish????????? Are you delusional, VW is one of the highest quality manufacturers in the world! And Ford has allot of good models at the moment too! GM, well I will agree with but your still a tool mate.

Secondly, Good work Hyundai, the new line up is looking mighty good, I hope they do dethrone the big T! I may even consider a diesel i30 when the need arises for a second car, for that money I would be a fool not to.
DXL

WVB..have you even owned an excel? I’ve had one for 12 years – more than 250K on the clock and still going strong. It has never let me down. Not bad for $15K. And the paint isn’t peeling either. Wish I could say the same for the Falcodores and Toyotas I’ve owned.
Ha

DXL/ You are right….I have owned an excel for 10 years…done 200K…still drives like new..and never broken down or never had issue.. Extremely reliable…extremely cheap to run…Its twin cam engine is fantastic motor in that really strong…Hill? What hill?
Joober

FO- “BIGT are NOT worried about hyundai in the slightest, they sell every single HiAce without a ounce of problem”

No, a recent article states that Toyota acknowledge Hyundai as their number 1 threat and rapidly growing and because they have the same business strategy,

China + India I think not well not for 10 or more years, they have a super mountain to climb before any of their cars are classified as respectable to buy by the International public, sure they will sell in their own countries well, but the general stigma of chinese / indian products and labour is still a negative one.

Rather than happy to see it being number 1, I rather see other manufacturers take this opportunity to open their eyes and see this is what happens when you sit on your laurels, and start producing more competitive products.
strangelove

why do i feel strangely loyal to Hyundai, i thought brand loyalty was non existant in my gneration (gen x’ers)

maybe it’s because the accent was my first ever brand new car? either way, i feel strangely connected to the brand…weird ay?!

i really like the new coupe, and would love one with the carbon bonnett (but i’ve heard this is illegal due to pedestrian sefety regulations…soemthing about the CF acting like a big arse blade lol
Yianni

3.4L/100km WOW!

Hopefully the Diesel does make it to Australia and will sit along side the i30 Diesel. 220Nm of torque for a small car like that would make it a fantastic drive especially mated to a 6 speed manual.

Hyundai is moving a long very nicely as other manufacturers seem to struggle with ideas on how to lower emissions and fuel consumption while making the car cheap to buy.

All this Prius and Civic hybrid crap costs an arm and a leg to buy and totally doesn’t justify the fuel consumption figures IMO as it would take way to long to make up the different compared to a standard Corolla or Civic.

If a diesel i20 can be bought for around 15-17 Grand with a fuel consumption like that and performance to match they certainly have a winner.

Any Hyundai model should definitely be taken seriously these days against the competition.

Cheers
Fenno

If only they made a car that was actually enjoyable to drive. Fit and finish in the showroom is one thing, but look at them after only 12 months and you see the cracks appear. Sorry DXL and Ha, but two owners from the squillions of Excels (now mostly in that giant car-yard in heaven) that were sold here is not a convincing enough arguement.
You get what you pay for.
Garry

Well fenno now 3 my 96 excel never let me down ok mine only had 110000 on the clock.Also fenno when your next driving just take a look at how many excels are still on the road and some are still in good shape.Then I did a stupid stupid thing I went for a Rav4 biggest peice of rubbish.Now I have 2 Hyundai’s in my garage.Fenno you do get what you pay for.Hyundai you will rule the world.
Andrew M

Fenno,
yes you do get what you pay for, but the excells were not unreliable.

sure the interior is cheap, but just have a look at any festiva, barina, corolla, pulsar etc from the same era.
at least the excell buyers didnt pay as much for the cheap plastic.
the only thing that really goes wrong with excells is the plugs and leads.
they are a damn reliable car especially for what they were sold for.

sure hyundais aint enjoyable to drive, but the current #1 doesnt have any enjoyable to drive vehicles either.
perhaps that is the trend???????
SteveC

Hyundai are really good.

The Veracruz really looks like the best SUV on the market.

Sadly the i20′s interior colours look like poo. Hopefully there are other options.

I think Hyundai will become the best automobile manufacturer in the world. I think the stigma behind the name is also starting to significantly lift.

Which is great news because they really are great cars.
Duck

Top pictures front headlights remind me of Peugeot.