More new Hyundais on the way

THE successor for Hyundai’s Elantra will mark the beginning of what should become the next wave of new models from the South-Korean car-making giant next year.

Known simply as the MD but likely to wear the i35 nameplate when it arrives here in the second quarter of 2011, Hyundai’s fifth-generation small sedan will go on sale in South Korea as the all-new Avante later this year.

Set to slot in between the light-sized i20 hatch and mid-sized i45 sedan – and to join the popular i30 hatchback in Hyundai’s local small-car line-up - the new Elantra will replace one of Hyundai’s oldest and slowest selling models in Australia.

From top: Hyundai i-Flow, Hyundai Veloster, Hyundai i10, Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Genesis Coupe.

As we reported when it emerged with all-new exterior styling based on the ‘fluidic sculpture’ design language at the Busan motor show in South Korea in April, South Korea’s version of the redesigned small sedan will be powered by a new 1.6-litre GDI direct-injection four-cylinder petrol engine that delivers 103kW and 167Nm, matched with Hyundai’s new six-speed automatic transmission as seen in the i45, ix35 and facelifted Santa Fe.

Meantime, the successor for the compact Accent hatch, codenamed RB, will also be launched imminently in many markets but is still not confirmed for Australia. According to Hyundai Motor Company Australia marketing direct Oliver Mann, HMCA would need to find a place in its model range and the business plan would need to read well.

No case has yet been made for the Indian-built i10 sub-light hatchback, which was revealed in facelifted guise last week in Paris. Hyundai’s stalwart price-leader, the Getz, goes out of production at the end of this year but Mr Mann is confident it will be sold here until “well into 2011”.

While HMCA plans to enter the luxury market at some time, that time remains unclear. The Genesis sedan and coupe still looks possible. Mr Mann said that the Genesis coupe could build on the Tiburon’s local success and discussions have been held with head office along these lines. The coupe was HMCA’s initial choice but that now both versions of the facelifted mid-sizer will be considered for local release if approved for right-hand drive production.

Mr Mann said no decision had been made about the Australian futures of turbo or hybrid versions of the Sonata (i45) sold in the US, nor the five-door VF-series version of the YF-series i45 sedan, which was previewed by the ‘i-flow’ concept at Geneva in March and should go on sale in Europe next year as the all-new i40.

“There is no sign of VF right now’, he said, adding that a coupe version of the VF remains pure “media speculation”.

Nor was there yet any sign of the production version of the cool Veloster coupe, which is expected to emerge as Hyundai’s most affordable two-door in 2011.

“We are continually discussing a whole bunch of business opportunities with HMC,’ said Mr Mann. As for Hyundai’s first ute, there was “no promise…for the foreseeable future.

“It is obviously a significant segment and one we would like to be selling a product in… (but) it’s several years away.”