Hyundai set to double local i30 N supply
BY TERRY MARTIN | 22nd Jun 2018
HYUNDAI Motor Co Australia has secured more supplies of its tearaway-success i30 N high-performance hatch as it attempts to satisfy strong demand from would-be customers and reduce delivery times that currently stand at up to five months.
In an interview with GoAuto this week, HMCA chief executive JW Lee also said he was looking forward to bolstering the mainstream i30 range – and other model lines – with forthcoming new ‘N Line’ cosmetic packages and ‘N Option’ customisation parts that were announced overseas earlier this month.
Mr Lee said Australia’s initial i30 N allocation of 300 units simply flew out showroom doors and that the company’s current supply was equivalent to 30 or 40 vehicles a month – nowhere near enough to satisfy local demand.
However, the HMCA chief said negotiations with the factory in the Czech Republic had brought positive results and he is now expecting to have twice as many i30 Ns – 100 a month – in the marketplace by September.
“Currently, the customer has to wait more than four months – four to five months,” he said.
“At the end of the first batch, the 300 have almost gone, and our allocation per month is roughly 30 to 40 cars. But customer demand is much higher.
“I am continuously asking for more supply of i30 N. I think the situation will be better from September.”
Mr Lee said the current production plan set down for the Australian market was about 50 cars per month, however “after September, the supply may be double” that figure.
This circa-100 units will cover both the i30 N hatch and the forthcoming i30 N Fastback which Mr Lee said is expected to launch late this year or early in 2018.
The company is also sticking only with the top-spec ‘Performance’ variant of the i30 N that produces 202kW from a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine, and has no plans at this stage to offer the detuned 184kW version, even if supplies were more readily available.
“Currently, there are no plans to introduce the lower version,” Mr Lee said. “I’m very much happy with the current (202kW) i30 N version, but we will keep monitoring whether we need to introduce the lower version.
“We are definitely going to introduce the Fastback version of the i30 N. Production will be started this year, but it will be available in the market maybe at the beginning of next year.
“And I will keep negotiating with our Czech plant to get some more (supply).”
The new ‘N Line’ and ‘N Option’ packages were announced by the South Korean auto giant at the recent Busan motor show, along with a commitment to broaden its N sub-brand globally to other models beyond i30 and the left-hand-drive-only Veloster with full-fat high-performance variants.
The custom parts and softer new sporty styling kits are designed to be applied to Hyundai’s entire model line-up.
Mr Lee said the N Line would be made available first in i30, with the company then studying its application for other models across its passenger car and SUV stable.
“Not just i30 but N Line will be available in Tucson and other models,” Mr Lee said.
“The customer response and customer feedback when we launched i30 N was much, much higher than my expectations. I was very much surprised.
“So this N Line will give some more choices to our customers who are thirsty for some more performance (aesthetics).
“We are yet to decide (timing) but the first i30 N Line will be available on i30 first. Maybe next year.
“Other lines are also in our plans. Not every line, but there is a plan to expand to some other lines, including SUVs.”
