Hyundai i20: Getz Going
Motoring Channel Staff - 2/March/2009
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Hyundai i20
Hyundai's i20 will join the i30 model and there's a
chance that the super-mini i10 could come to Oz too
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Melbourne, Australia
– It wasn't
as loud or dramatic as some of the concept cars on Hyundai's exhibit at
the 2009 Melbourne Motor Show but it will do more for the Hyundai brand
in Australia than any other car this year. Meet the new i20,
scheduled for sale in Australia in the 3rd quarter of 2009 (and
possibly as early as July) when it will replace the Hyundai Getz. Previewing its
all-new i20 small hatch, Hyundai claims it will offer customers
'premium features and technology now appearing on many larger more
expensive models'. It sounds like Hyundai is aiming to take on the current class-leader in the compact car market, the Ford Fiesta, which delivers a premium package that has not been seen in this market segment before. Hyundai
is serious about challenging the top dog, saying 'the i20 range
represents the next wave of the new ‘i’ generation of
Hyundai cars'. It joins the i30 model as part of Hyundai's new product naming convention. Hyundai
says the new i20 will have a spacious interior thanks to
a longer-than--usual wheelbase and as the photos show it
displays a new design that is half-way between itsbigger brother, the i30, and a Honda Jazz. "The team at Hyundai and our dealers are really excited about what
the all-new i20 will offer Australian consumers," commented Kevin
McCann, Hyundai Australia's director of sales and marketing. "With
Generation X and Y turning to high quality cars offering value for
money, the i20 will be specified to fulfil those needs and compete with
products like Mazda2, Toyota Yaris and Honda Jazz." Designed by
Hyundai's European design studio in Russelsheim, Germany, the i20 is
a 'trend leading' car and 'will attract customers who enjoy a mobile lifestyle
in busy urban Australia' says the Korean car maker. The
Hyundai i20 on display at the Melbourne International Motor Show
sits on 16-inch alloy wheels with 195/50 R16 tyres. It also
features front fog lamps and iPod, USB and AUX connectivity, steering
wheel mounted audio controls and a leather steering wheel and gear
shifter. Safety systems include a six airbags and ESP stability
control, which, if made standard, would make the i20 the safest car in
its class. Hyundai has said that the price range of the new
i20 models will be made available at the time of launch mid this
year. Hyundai has always been able to compete strongly on
price, and the Motoring Channel expects an entry-level model priced at
around $15,000. The car company has confirmed that the i20's
suspension and steering will be tuned for Australian road conditions,
in the same way the multi-award winning i30 hatch was altered for
local tastes. Related Links:
- Hyundai i30
(Road Test)
- Hyundai
Getz (Road Test)
- Hyundai HED 6 ix-ONIC Concept (2009)
- Hyundai Grandeur (2009)
- Hyundai Sonata (2009)
- Hyundai Genesis Coupe (2010)
- Hyundai Concept Genesis Coupe (2009)
- Hyundai Genesis (2008)
- HCD10
Hyundai Hellion (concept)
- Hyundai
Santa Fe (Road Test)
- Hyundai Tucson
- Hyundai Vera Cruz
- Hyundai Elantra
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