New model mania hits Hyundai

HYUNDAI plans to line-up alongside GM, Ford, VW and DaimlerChrysler as one of the leading manufacturers in the world by 2010.

The South Korean car-maker has an armoury of new models up its sleeve, two of which will hit showrooms later this month - the Trajet people-mover and the Accent, which replaces the Excel.

The Santa Fe four-wheel drive will join the fray around September, taking on the likes of the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.

An all-new Lantra is due about the same time. The newcomer will be bigger than the current version and derive several styling cues from the BMW 3 Series sedan.

The Highlander, a Prado-sized four-wheel drive, may make its debut at the Melbourne motor show next February/March, marking Hyundai's entry into another new market segment.

An all-new Coupe will be the next addition to the line-up, making its debut in mid-2001. The newcomer is expected to feature more hard-edged styling than the current organic-looking car.

In addition to the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine offered at present, the new Coupe will be available with a 2.5-litre V6 powerplant sourced from the Sonata.

A five-seat people-mover to rival the Mazda Premacy and Daewoo Tacuma is also expected to join the range next year.

The Excel nameplate may be revived on an all-new B-class car - due in 2002 - being developed in conjunction with DaimlerChrysler and Mitsubishi.

The new minicar will be less than 3.8m long and derive its power from an engine displacing between 1.0 and 1.5-litres. It may deliver fuel consumption figures as low as 3.0L/100km.

It will be produced from 2002 onwards at Hyundai's plant in Ulsan, South Korea, as well as in China.

Mitsubishi will build its version of the car in Japan while DaimlerChrysler's variant will be built in Europe.

Hyundai will be the first to sell the car because it already had work in progress on the project.

The South Korean manufacturer plans to build one million examples of the car by 2004 and total production - including Mitsubishi's and DaimlerChrysler's output - is expected to reach between 4 million and 5 million units.