2012 Hyundai i40 under consideration for Australia

The unveiling of the i40 sedan follows the confirmation from Hyundai Australia that the i40 wagon will go on sale locally in the fourth quarter of 2011.

The i40 sedan will go on sale in overseas markets in before the end of the year. Hyundai Australia’s Ben Hershman today admitted the local arm was yet to make a final decision on the i40, and said a call would be made later this year.

If Hyundai Australia does decide to introduce the i40 sedan, it will not arrive in local showrooms until sometime next year.

At 4740mm long, 1815mm wide, 1470mm tall and with a 2770mm wheelbase, the i40 sedan is 80mm shorter, 20mm skinnier and has a 25mm shorter wheelbase than the current i45 medium sedan.

Mr Hershman said it was too early to say whether Hyundai Australia would offer the i40 sedan and i45 in the same line-up. He said the brand was “very pleased” with the i45, which was the second-most popular vehicle in the sub-$60K medium segment in April and has just been strengthened with the addition of the 2.0-litre models.

The i40 sedan will be offered with a range of four engines: two tunes of a diesel engine and two different petrol engines.

The 1.7-litre diesel will be available with 85kW and 260Nm as well as 100kW and 325Nm. When fitted with Hyundai’s Intelligent Stop & Go (ISG) and other efficient Blue Drive features, the less powerful diesel will use 4.3 litres/100km and emit 113g/km CO2 on the combined cycle.

The smallest petrol engine will be a 1.6-litre ‘Gamma’ unit with 99kW of power and 164Nm of torque. Combined cycle emissions will range between 140g/km and 149g/km, meaning fuel consumption is likely to be below 6.5 litres/100km.

The most powerful engine in the range will be a 2.0-litre petrol with 130kW and 208Nm of torque. Its emissions will average 156g/km, with combined cycle fuel consumption likely to come in below 7.0 litres/100km.

Hyundai says it is targeting 60,000 sales per year, and expects a 65 percent of sales to be diesel models.

Mr Hershman said Hyundai Australia was investigating all i40 powertrains and said it was working through the business case of the diesel.

Noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels have been a particular focus of i40 development, with sound absorption and muffling reducing noise both inside and outside the vehicle.

Technology features available in select i40 models will include smart parking assist, lane departure warning system, Bluetooth with voice recognition, satellite navigation, rear-view camera, electric park brake, ventilated front seats, heated and reclining rear seats, heated steering wheel and auto defog system.

Daytime running lights will be standard, while xenon headlamps and an LCD instrument panel will be optional or available on higher models.

Hyundai anticipates a five-star safety rating with seven airbags and all the usual electronic features.

Expect to hear more about the Hyundai i40 sedan and wagon in the coming months.