Hyundai adds FWD ix35 Elite variant

HYUNDAI’s ix35 compact SUV has juts received a new front-wheel-drive 2.0-litre petrol automatic drivetrain for the mid-spec Elite variant, priced at $32,590 plus on-road costs.

As well, in return for equipment upgrades across the board, the South Korean company has applied price hikes of between $1500 and $2500 to all but entry-level Active variants.

The new FWD Elite is priced $100 higher than the all-wheel-drive 2.4-litre petrol automatic that previously opened the Elite specification level, which is now priced $2500 higher at $34,990.

The price of a 2.0-litre AWD diesel automatic Elite has bumped up by $2100 to $37,590, with the same hike applied to the top-spec 2.4 petrol Highlander, which now costs $37,590 while the diesel Highlander is up $1500 to $39,990.

Luxury upgrades to sweeten the higher prices on Elite variants include dual-zone climate-control, a reversing camera and a self-dimming interior mirror with integrated compass.

Both the Elite and Highlander get a new satellite-navigation system with SUNA traffic updates and 6.5-inch touch-screen.

From top: Rendering of Hyundai HB20 Hyundai ix35.

Entry-level, front-drive Active variants – which share their 122kW/197Nm engine with the new FWD Elite – remain priced at $26,990 for the manual and $28,990 for the automatic.

Despite static pricing, Active variants receive an audio system upgrade with better-integrated five-inch touch-screen, Bluetooth streaming, MP3 compatibility with album art display, iPod and auxiliary inputs and the ability to store audio CDs on USB memory devices.

Hyundai’s iCare capped-price servicing scheme, introduced late last month, is available on the ix35 and costs $259 per year for FWD petrol variants, $289 per year for AWD petrol variants and $399 per year for AWD diesel variants.

The capped-price scheme runs for three years, with service intervals of 12 months or 15,000 kilometres and includes three years of map updates for variants fitted with satellite-navigation.

Sales of the ix35 are down one per cent to the end of July, with 6739 units sold, but new competitors and a compact SUV segment up 65.7 per cent have eroded its market share from 35.3 per cent this time in 2011 to 20.5 per cent year-to-date.

In other Hyundai news, the company has just announced it will produce a new compact hatchback in Brazil, exclusively for that market, and provided a teaser image.

Called HB20, it will be powered by 1.0-litre and 1.6-litre flex-fuel engines able to run on petrol, bio-ethanol or a combination of the two.

The vehicle is set to enter production next month at Hyundai’s Piracicaba facility 150km northwest of Brazil’s – and the southern hemisphere’s – largest city, Sao Paolo.

Signalling a new nomenclature direction for the South Korean company, HB stands for Hyundai Brazil and 20 signifies the size, which GoAuto understands is on a par with the i20.

Further HB models, including a sedan and SUV, are planned for launch next year and Hyundai says all were developed in collaboration with Brazilian engineers.

Hyundai has already taken on 1000 employees in Brazil, a number it expects to double next year, while the new factory is expected to support a further 20,000 indirect jobs in the supply chain.

2012 Hyundai ix35 pricing (plus on-roads):
Active 2WD petrol	$26,990 (no change)
Active 2WD petrol (a)	$28,990 (no change)
Elite 2WD petrol (a)	$32,590 (new)
Elite AWD petrol (a)	$34,990 (+$2500)
Elite AWD diesel (a)	$37,590 (+$2100)
Highlander AWD petrol (a)	$37,590 (+$2100)
Highlander AWD diesel (a)	$39,990 (+$1500)