Hyundai assessing i10 for Australia

HYUNDAI’S second-generation i10 city car has surfaced ahead of its official debut at the Frankfurt motor show next month, and it could be on the cards for Australia.

Hyundai Motor Company Australia public relations general manager Bill Thomas confirmed the i10 is currently being assessed for the local market.

“We always review new products for the Australian market,” he said. “While introducing a new entry level car is appealing, all products have to have a sound business plan behind them.

“The existing i10 is highly acclaimed in Europe and we're confident that the new car will be class-leading, but right now it's still in the early stages of review.” Based on a new platform that stretches the wheelbase out by 5mm over the previous model, Hyundai says the i10 will deliver more precise wheel control over varied road surfaces thanks to relocated rear dampers.

Hyundai also promises better driving dynamics and lower noise levels for its new super mini.

The all-new i10 is 80mm longer, 65mm wider and 50mm lower than the model it replaces, while legroom has increased and boot capacity is up by 10 per cent to 252 litres.

Designed and developed at Hyundai’s Rüsselsheim, Germany technical centre, the styling of the new i10 reflects the brand’s ‘fluidic sculpture’ design language that can already be seen across the Korean car-maker’s passenger car range.

European-spec models will be built at Hyundai’s Turkish plant and feature greater levels of optional equipment, including automatic climate control, heated steering wheel and cruise control as well as extra safety gear such as stability control and front curtain airbags.

Hyundai Australia has previously ruled out introducing the current-generation i10 to the Australian market, because of its four-star Euro NCAP crash safety rating.

The second-gen i10 is yet to be crash tested, but the addition of crucial safety equipment could boost its rating to five stars.

Hyundai also revealed images of the model destined for the Indian market, dubbed Grand i10, featuring the same design as the European model. The Grand i10 will sit above the regular i10 in the Hyundai’s Indian line-up.

While Hyundai is yet to release powetrain details for the European version, Indian-built i10s will be powered by a choice of either a 1.1-litre diesel or 1.2-litre petrol engine.

The i10 is Hyundai’s entry-level offering in the super-mini class, sitting below the i20 light car in the South Korean car-maker’s line-up.

If the i10 gets the green light for an Australian berth, its main competitors in the sub-light car segment would include the Suzuki Alto that retails from $11,790 plus on-road costs and the Holden Barina Spark from $12,490.

More information about the tiny city runabout will be made available around the time of the official launch at the Frankfurt motor show next month.