Hyundai set to clean up

HYUNDAI Motor Company Australia (HMCA) is planning bring all of its models up to Euro 5 exhaust emissions standard from August production, thus complying with Australia’s deadline for the cleaner-car deadline on November 1.

Five Hyundai model lines or variants – i30 diesel, Accent, Veloster, Elantra 1.8 petrol and Santa Fe – are still listed as Euro 4 compliant on the federal government’s Green Vehicle Guide.

However, HMCA public relations general manager Bill Thomas told GoAuto that all these vehicles would get a Euro 5 technology upgrade from next month’s production to bring them into line with the new standards for both petrol and diesel light vehicles.

“Obviously, there will be a few cars still in the network that were produced earlier, but these will be clearly marked as Euro 4 as the regulations dictate,” he said.

Newer or recently upgraded model such as the Tucson, Sonata and i40 are already Euro 5 compliant.

Hyundai is just one of many manufacturers planning such emissions upgrades on older vehicles in the next few months.

Coincidentally or not, some manufacturers are taking the opportunity to have a clear out of ageing and declining models such as the Ford Falcon and Territory, Nissan Micra and Y61 Patrol and Suzuki Kizashi, rather than upgrade them.

As GoAuto has reported, Holden has won a special dispensation from the federal government to delay Commodore V6 Euro 5 compliance for three months, until February 1, when it puts its 2017 model-year range into showrooms.

Vehicles from most European manufacturers are already at least Euro 5 compliant, with many such as Mercedes-Benz and Audi already up to the stricter Euro 6 on most models.

Australia is yet to decide when it will move to Euro 6 for passenger and light-commercial vehicles. The federal government earlier this year took submissions on the subject from interested parties, but so far has not declared a plan.

For Hyundai, the looming Euro 6 deadline means it has had to make a running change to i30, even though it has an all-new model in the wings for launch in the first half of 2017.

Built on the same all-new platform as the acclaimed Elantra sedan, the new-generation i30 is expected to make its debut at this year’s Paris motor show in late September.

HMCA has indicated it will keep the i30 tag for its best-selling hatchback that is the top-selling vehicle on the Australian market this year with 22,857 sales in the first half.