MODEL MAKEOVER
New hot hatch planned as part of big Hyundai overhaul
Hyundai will launch 18 all-new or updated models in the next 18 months as part of a product “onslaught” that will include a new hot hatch and several other performance models.
The brand has confirmed that the i20N hot hatch will be imported to sit below Hyundai’s acclaimed i30N, which in turn will receive an update including an eight-speed dual-clutch auto designed to broaden its appeal.
Both could be joined by a high-performance SUV next year, as versions of the Kona crossover have been spotted lapping Germany’s famed Nurburgring test track. Hyundai will also introduce a range-topping SUV, the Palisade, to compete with Toyota’s Kluger and Mazda’s CX-9.
Available in two- and four-wheel drive, the Palisade will offer a choice of diesel or V6 petrol power. The diesel is the same 2.2-litre version as the current Santa Fe, while the V6 is a 3.8-litre unit putting out 217kW.
The SUV will be a tech leader for the brand, introducing new driver assistance functions that will allow you to remotely park the car in a tight spot and stop you from attempting a risky turn at a road junction.
Hyundai Australia’s chief operating officer, John Kett, says the aggressive launch plan is aimed at changing perceptions of the brand here, moving away from driveaway bargains to vehicles that have more emotional appeal.
He says the goal is for owners to be “proud to drive a Hyundai and proud to be seen in a Hyundai”.
The evolution of the brand will include a shift towards SUVs and a move away from fleet sales towards more private sales. Kett says the company was “caught out” by the rapid shift to SUVs and had focused too much on passenger car sales to fleets. “We had an ever increasing share of a passenger car segment that was declining,” he says.
As part of its revitalisation plan, the brand will expand its range of N and N-Line models, which have improved performance and sporty styling cues inside and out. Seven of the 18 new models will be N or N-Line products.
Environmentally friendly vehicles will continue to play a big role in the line-up. Later this year, the company will deliver the first 20 units of its hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the Nexo, to the ACT government. That will make it the only manufacturer to offer fuel-cell vehicles, EVs, plug-in hybrids and petrol-electric hybrids in the Australian market.
Globally, the group plans to launch 23 EVs between now and 2025.
The Palisade will arrive in the fourth quarter of this year, along with the all-new Elantra sedan (to be renamed the i30 sedan) and the Sonata. The i30 sedan will ride on a newgeneration platform and will be bigger than the hatch with the latest safety tech, while the Sonata has also grown in size and will have a 2.5-litre turbo engine mated to Hyundai’s new eight-speed dual-clutch auto. A hybrid version is available in the US, but there's no word on whether that will make it here.
Also due later this year are updated versions of the i30 hatch and Santa Fe SUV, while the Kona will receive a facelift early next year.
Unfortunately the most obvious gap in the brand’s line-up — a one-tonne ute — remains off the table for the immediate future.