Hyundai drops Accent on diesel

HYUNDAI has axed its diesel-powered Accent hatch and sedan due to low customer take-up and unavailability of an automatic transmission after less than a year on the market.

The South Korean importer instead is pressing on with its 1.6-litre petrol Accent models that drove a 98 per cent increase in sales of the light car last year.

Customers baulked at the $2600 price premium for the 1.6-litre CRDi four-cylinder diesel engine in the price-sensitive entry level to the car market.

Hyundai Motor Company Australia also could no longer access the diesel engine with an automatic transmission, leaving only the less-popular six-speed manual version in showrooms.

HMCA public relations general manager Bill Thomas said the decision to drop the diesel Accent was taken about October last year, with stocks gradually running out since then.

“We could no longer get an auto with the diesel engine, which did not make it as attractive,” he said.

“As well, the price premium did not make it seem so attractive at that end of the market. It was getting up into (Hyundai) i30 territory.”

While the entry-level Accent Active petrol with a manual gearbox was $16,990 (plus on-road costs), the diesel variant was $19,590 – only $1400 short of the base petrol i30 Active.

Supply issues are believed to have played a part in the demise of the diesel Accent, as other markets such as Europe gobble up limited supplies of diesel engines.

The Accent CRDi was launched only a year ago, offering economy of 4.4 litres per 100km for the manual sedan.

While the diesel has been dropped from Accent, the same engine continues in the bigger i30.

“We have being doing well with that one,” said Mr Thomas.