Hyundai Accent 2014 News

Hyundai has heated up the popular Accent hatchback range with the arrival of the sporty Australian-developed SR variant. Replacing the Accent Elite hatch, the SR -- which debuted at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show -- is powered by  Hyundai's higher-output 1.6-litre D-CVVT GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) Gamma petrol engine, shared with the new Elite sedan and the Veloster and delivering 103kW at 6300rpm and 167Nm at 4850rpm The engine is mated to a six-speed manual as standard for $18,990 or the optional six-speed automatic with sequential manual mode transmission for an extra $2000. Claimed fuel consumption is 6.1-litres/100km for the manual and 6.6L for the auto. The sports-focused suspension has been developed locally to suit Australian requirements, with the unique tune achieved in computer simulations, road driving and high-speed evalution at the Marulan race circuit near Sydney. After assessing 20 front and 17 rear damper builds, the rear ones were changed from twin-tube to high-performance monotube Mando units, spring rates were changed and the front stabiliser bar was trimmed from 23mm to 21mm. "These hardware changes deliver sharper turn-in, quicker response and enhanced body control, all while retaining – in fact, actually improving on – Accent's supple ride," Hyundai product planning manager and lead development driver, Andrew Tuitahi said in a statement. "The Accent SR features a higher output engine and a new suspension set-up which as a pleasant by-product also make it great fun to drive at a keen price." The SR also picks up an array of sporty features, including a rear spoiler, 16-inch machined-face alloy wheels, SR badging and projector-beam headlights with LED positioning lamps, automatic dusk-sensing operation and headlight escort function. It gets a five-star ANCAP rating, with safety kit including six airbags, stability management and control systems, traction control and anti-skid brakes with brake force distribution to counter uneven loading. Hyundai Accent range: Accent Active 4DR $16,990 (man) Accent Active 5DR $16,990 (man) Accent Active 4DR $18,990 (auto) Accent Active 5DR $18,990 (auto) Accent Elite 4DR $20,990 (auto) Accent SR 5DR $18,990 (man) Accent SR 5DR $20,990 (auto) This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

A tidier Elantra is the next newcomer from Hyundai as it accelerates its new-model plans for the next five years. The mid-sized Korean contender only gets a mild update for 2013 but there is much more to come.The upscale Genesis coupe is already confirmed and now comes news from Korea of an update to the Accent later this year, as well as the Accent SR developed in Australia to sit alongside the SR versions of the Veloster A warm hatch with a nice price - that's the bottom line on the Hyundai i30 SR and i30.Hyundai has a long-term goal to move up from its current fourth place in the Australian car business and chief operating officer, John Elsworth, is talking up the prospects. "Our results this year have been incredibly strong. Overall we are placed fourth in the market. We're number two in passenger cars and fourth in SUVs," Elsworth says.Hyundai is still short of models, including a ute to pitch into the red-hot pickup contest, but it's no worse than third in any of the showroom classes where it has a serious contender. "Our approach and goal is for consistent growth, versus peaks and troughs in sales, and having a good mix of sales across models and all buyer types," Elsworth says."Currently our sales mix continues to improve, with 66 per cent of sales going to private and small businesses, and add to that nine per cent dealer demonstrators, which are predominantly sold privately after their holding period. So that's 75 per cent of sales as private and small business."Against that background, Hyundai is bullish about its sales forecast for 2013 against an overall market it expects to hit 1.14 million. With the i30 SR ready now for showrooms, the next arrival is the updated Elantra."It will be here this year. In the third quarter," company spokesman Bill Thomas tells Carsguide. "It's a mid-life Elantra update. There are no sheetmetal changes, but there are new lights front and rear. One of the big improvements is inside., where we've put the central air vents higher, based on customer feedback, and that's give us the opportunity to give the cabin a more premium feel."It's got our new suspension as well. It's very nice." But there is still no chance of a diesel engine choice. "There is a diesel for other countries, but we're staying with petrol power for Australia," Thomas says.Apart from the Genesis, the star for 2014 is a new Sonata. It has a new body, a different interior approach and will - inevitably - get Australian suspension tuning. Hyundai is also expected to add a rear-wheel drive sporty sedan, in the style of the Lexus IS, by 2016. Its codename is RK and it could have styling based on the HCD-14 concept car from this year's Detroit motor show. But no-one is saying anything about RK, or anything beyond the end of this year. "No comment. That's it," Thomas says bluntly.This reporter is on Twitter: @PaulWardGover

The Accent oiler will hit the showroom floors only in Active spec, with a starting price of $19,490.  The turbodiesel unit - the first in the Accent line-up – is a new 1.6-litre engine with common rail direct injection (CRDi) fuel system, intercooled with variable geometry turbo (VGT). It develops 94kW of power at 4000rpm and 260Nm of torque between 1900-2750rpm.  The engine is mated to either Hyundai’s six-speed manual, or for an extra $2000 the four-speed electronic automatic transmission – which features a lock-up torque converter, overdrive and driver style adaptation programming. Hyundai claims the combination of CRDi and VGT enables the diesel to deliver fuel economy of 4.4L/100km in a combined cycle of driving with the manual transmission sedan and 4.5L/100km for the hatch, with the automatic versions both coming in at 5.6L/100km. Safety equipment for the Active spec level includes six airbags, vehicle stability management, electronic stability control and traction control systems. The four-channel, four-sensor anti-skid braking system also has electronic brakeforce distribution that adjusts brake effort to compensate for uneven loading of cargo or passengers.

Hyundai Australia CEO Edward Lee says the company's plan is no longer centred on entry-level pricing, but values such as safety, driving experience and ride quality. With the exit of the Getz and the introduction of the Accent, the company now has a full five-star safety rating on all of its passenger vehicle fleet. "We're not concerned with leaving the bottom of the market," Lee says. “I think we changed people's perception of the brand a lot already.Five-star safety is our new strategy.” "Australian people think safety is one of the most important things along with driving and ride." Sales and marketing manager Oliver Mann says the Getz name has gone the way of the Excel and doesn't expect to see either model name returned to the brand. Australians bought 153,000 Getz in their model lifetime and only about 400 are left after production ended last year. That's less than half the 1000 they sell each month. The Getz 1.4-litre three-door is listed at $13,990. It's a big hole for Hyundai to fill, but Mann is not concerned. "Even though it was our entry level car, we mainly sold the 1.6-litre five-door model, anyway," Mann says. "We're not planning to fill the entry level price again.” "We're getting out of the bottom end of the market. Getz won't be replaced directly." However, with the introduction of the 1.6-litre, slightly larger Accent, the 1.6-litre i20 models have been deleted and the $15,490 1.4-litre three-door is being sold at $14,990 driveaway. Hyundai also does not have room in its five-star strategy for the four-star i10 as a replacement bargain car. "We looked long and hard at the i10 business case, but it wasn't profitable and didn't fit in with our five-star safety rating strategy," Mann says. Product planning senior manager Roland Rivero says supply of the Indian-made i10 also could not be guaranteed with the factory able to build 450,000 a year and the domestic market taking 400,000. "That would leave Europe and ask to argue over the remainder," he says.

The i40 is a great-looking wagon - long, low, sleek and with some Mercedes CLS styling cues.  But Hyundai Australia's marketing boss, Oliver Mann, says getting it down under is still only a chance. "It has to make sense. It has to be the right price and work with the other models,'' he says in Geneva.  It's designed in Europe for Europeans and we have to see if it can work - pricing, specifications, features and so on - in Australia.'' What worries Mann is that the i40 will sit in a small market segment occupied now only by the Mazda6 and Ford Mondeo wagons.  "That's not a big segment and we don't have a customer base to call on,'' he says. "But it's a new concept for Hyundai and it has a lot of appeal.''  The i40 comes with the choice of a 1.7-litre turbo-diesel or 2-litre petrol engine and is made in Korea.  "It's our style leader in terms of quality and finish,'' Mann says. The i40 is in the same boat as the RB model that will replace the Accent.  Mann says this hatch is yet to be decided as an entrant into Australia. "We'll make a decision within one month,'' he says.  "It has been developed for all global markets. To a degree, the i20 replaced the Accent. The RB - possibly to become the i25 - is built on the i20 platform and is a four-door sedan, so it will appeal to a different buyer than the i20, says Mann.  A better bet is the MD model - no name yet but the money's on i35 -that replaces the Elantra. Mann says the sedan is here midyear and will be a strong boost to the affordable family-oriented sector.  On a more concrete note, Hyundai is preparing its unusual three-door Veloster coupe for Australia. It arrives late this year as a 1.6-litre petrol engined four-seater with two side doors on the left side of the car, and one on the right.  It has been specifically engineered for the right-hand drive markets - the left-drive US market gets the two doors on the other side - and will be the successor (in terms of market) to the original Hyundai S-Coupe. It also gives Hyundai the chance to re-enter the coupe market after it quietly withdrew the Tiburon two-door model from the Australian showrooms about 18 months ago.  

The Accent SR Turbo is believed to be a design study of the next Hyundai World Rally car expected to debut in the middle of next year for a 2008 competitive season start. The Accent SR is on display at the Melbourne International Motor Show this week. The SR is based on the three-door version of the new generation Accent hatch and houses a 2.0-litre high output turbocharged engine which is mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. The SR has big flares framing 18-inch alloys, lowered sports suspension, body kit and big tailpipes. It is 180mm shorter than the outgoing Accent. Electronic Stability Control and a tyre pressure monitoring system are fitted. On the outside the SR features projector headlights, a matt-black stylised mesh grille, power tilt/slide sunroof and rear roof shade-spoiler. On the inside, Accent SRs has brushed alloy and metallic panel finishes, leather seat trim, blue-hue instrumentation and a data screen in the centre dash. While the SR is a concept car only, Hyundai says it carries clues to directions in Hyundai models to come in the not-too-distant future.