Melbourne show: Hyundai’s plethora of product

HYUNDAI Motor Company Australia (HMCA) came out with all guns blazing at today’s Melbourne International Motor Show opening by revealing a sharp sub-$21,000 starting price for the small i30cw (crossover wagon) that goes on sale in March.

The entry-level 2.0-litre petrol i30cw manual’s $20,890 pricetag represents a $1500 premium over the i30 2.0 SX manual hatch ($19,390), while the i30cw 1.6 CRDi will be Australia’s least expensive small diesel wagon at $23,990 in base SX manual guise ($1500 more than the i30 1.6 CRDi SX manual hatch).

Like the i30 hatch, the i30 wagon will come standard with electronic stability control (ESC), while side and curtain airbags are part of a $700 “Five-star Protectz Pack” for the cheapest SX versions of the i30cw. Other SX options include an automatic transmission ($2000) and cruise control/foglights ($400).

From top: i20 (front and interior), i10 Blue and i30 Blue (bottom).

The auto-only mid-range SLX and flagship Sportswagon variants are priced at a respective $27,390 and $28,990 in 2.0-litre petrol guise, with the SLX 1.6 CRD to cost $29,890 and the Sportwagon unavailable as a diesel. Metallic paint will be a $320 option across the range.

The i30cw appeared at last October’s Sydney motor show but made its national debut in final Australian specification guise at Melbourne. At 250mm longer and 40mm taller than the i30 hatchback, the German-designed i30cw offers more rear legroom and more cargo space.

On display for the first time in Australia was Hyundai’s light-sized i20 five-door hatch, which will be positioned beneath the i30 but upstream from the model it will replace in overseas markets, the Getz hatch, when it goes on sale in Australia in the third quarter of this year.

Also designed at Hyundai’s Russelsheim design studio, the more upmarket i20 makes its three-door global debut at next week’s Geneva motor show, but it is not yet known which body derivatives HMCA will take, nor how they will affect the three and four-door Accent.

The i20 three-door rides on the same 2525mm wheelbase as the five-door i20, and also features six airbags and active front head restraints as standard in Europe, where the most popular i20 variant is expected to be powered by Hyundai’s new 58kW/119Nm 1.2-litre ‘Kappa’ petrol engine. It features longer doors and tilt/sliding front seats, and weighs an extra 10kg.

Finally, Hyundai’s Melbourne stand also hosted the Australian debut of Hyundai’s new low-emissions ‘blue’ sub-brand, via the i10 Blue and i30 Blue. The first mass-production vehicle to wear the ‘blue’ label will be the i30 manufactured at Hyundai’s factory in the Czech Republic.

Its chief fuel-saving technology is Hyundai’s Idle Stop and Go (ISG) idle-stop system, which when mated to a 1.6-litre petrol engine is claimed to reduce fuel consumption by seven per cent on the European combined cycle.

While the i10 micro-car is unlikely to be sold here, the i30 Blue could eventually be on HMCA’s menu – along with the LPG-electric Elantra hybrid.

Both ‘blue’ models were shown in Melbourne alongside the same 221kW 3.8-litre V6-powered ‘Lime Green’ Genesis Coupe that made its Australian debut at Sydney’s Top Gear Live show early this month. Alas, the rear-drive two-door Hyundai will not be produced in right-hand drive form, so it won’t be sold in Australia.

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