Hyundai i10 may hit Australia

The tiddler i10 from Hyundai is looking more likely for Australia as the Korean brand launches a two-pronged attack with its new baby. The i10 was designed and developed in and for Europe, where it will be built at a factory at Izmit in Turkey, but it is also being primed for India. There are differences between the European and Indian cars, but the basic idea is the same and the target would be a sub-$12,000 pricetag in Australia.

The i10 was originally dismissed by local Hyundai management, partly because it would be difficult to get the right price and partly because there were few cars in its size class. But sourcing from India, and the rise of cars such as the Suzuki Alto and Mitsubishi Mirage, have changed the landscape. "The business case for Australia is still being looked at," admits Hyundai spokesman, Bill Thomas.

The big change is the arrival of the all-new i10, which was unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show. It is much more refined, is truly European, and can even be ordered with alloy wheels and LED daytime running lamps. Hyundai in Europe claims it brings "class leading space, levels of comfort and safety from the segment above, and sophisticaed exterior and interior design".

The objective was to create a car people wanted to buy, not one that they had to buy. For Australia, the conflicting demands of European quality and price, and an unproven pipeline from India, are still creating questions.

The obvious answer is to forge a solid link to India, but Thomas admits the i10 there is slightly different from the European model. "The Indian car has a longer wheelbase, has a slightly shorter nose, and the window line as the back is not as sleek. It looks a bit more upright and practical, it's not as sleek," he says.

"It's less appealing for the Australian market. It's fair to say that our tastes are more European." But the i10 is regarded as more premium in India, where Hyundai will even run the newcomer side-by-side with the previous-generation i10. "It's called the Grand i10 in India. It's being sold alongside the existing car which is also built there," Thomas says.

This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover