Hyundai I30 2016 News

Australian new car market roars to new sales heights, but post-election blues may put brakes on in back half of 2016

Australia sets new-car sales record, but uncertainty after the Federal election could see a slowdown ahead.

Hyundai has shocked the car industry by selling a record number of its i30 hatchbacks in June -- in the process setting a staggering 11-year high for any new vehicle sold.Contrary to perception, new-car sales figures are self-reported by car dealers and the car industry.Although new cars cannot be counted twice, the sales figures are not based on actual registrations.Hyundai dealers who spoke to News Corp Australia on condition of anonymity said the i30 sales numbers in June were “fairly straight” and “not as bad as some other brands that were asking us to call cars (declare them as sold).”“Hyundai had a bit of a push at the end of the month but it would be less than about 10 per cent of our total order take on i30,” said a leading metropolitan Hyundai dealer.Hyundai’s success may be about to come to an end, though, because it has raised the price of the i30 in July by $3000, to $22,990 drive-away. A manual verison of the car is now $20,990 drive-away.“We reckon sales will fall off a cliff now, $19,990 is the sweet spot for that car,” said another major Hyundai dealer.Savvy customers may still be able to grab a bargain, however, because most dealers are sitting on unsold Hyundai i30 stock that was intended to be sold at $19,990 drive-away.“It’s up to us to let them go for that price or charge somewhere in between $19,990 and the higher price,” said a Hyundai dealer.The four-month sales surge has blasted the Hyundai i30 to lead new-car sales year-to-date ahead of the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3, our top sellers for the past five years.Ute sales were also string in June, with Toyota delivering 4600 HiLux pick-ups closely followed by Ford with 4050 Rangers.The locally made Holden Commodore and Toyota Camry also performed well driven by new discount offers, with more than 3000 of each finding driveways.Official sales figures for June are due to be published by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries early next week.

The new-car market is set to break two records. It’s on track to become the biggest June to date

SUVs and utes are hot, sedans are not — that's the message from the latest monthly vehicle sales figures.

A successful Nurburgring 24 hour trial and new RM16 concept point the way to possible 2017 launch of hot Hyundai N brand.

As June 30 approaches, things get frantic in the new-car sales business. Brands and dealers feel the pressure and deals come thick and fast — some are better than others.Some car "brokers" make ridiculous claims about saving up to 25 per cent on a new-car price. Best be sceptical as there just has to be a catch — old build plates, unpopular model or colour, old stock etc. Best to deal with the makers direct, as the deals are sharp enough.Market leader Toyota has drive-away pricing on some popular models. The Corolla Ascent manual starts at $20,990, saving about $2500 on full freight. The auto is $2000 more.The Yaris Ascent auto starts at $17,990 drive-away, while the Camry is at a lossmaking $26,990 including prestige paint that usually adds about $500.Toyota is adding extras for no cost on some HiLux variants, for example the tow and stow pack worth $1300.Mazda is taking the drive-away pricing route on some models, starting with the Mazda2 at $16,990 drive-away for the manual. But it also promotes unspecified end of financial year "bonuses" on others. The Mazda6 gains a safety pack at no extra cost.Nissan finance is doing 1 per cent interest on its more popular models and there is drive-away pricing on less favoured badges. The Micra, soon to depart Australia, is the best buying at $12,990 drive-away for the manual, about $2700 off.Mitsubishi is doing free auto upgrades on several models.Hyundai has a mix of incentives. These include drive-away pricing on Accent Active manual hatch at $14,990 — about $3500 off (and just $1000 for an auto). It still has the i30 Active auto at $19,990, roughly $7000 off.There is five years' free servicing on some Hyundais and, on others, free third-party, registration and stamp duty (but not dealer delivery). ABN holders get a $1500 factory bonus on iLoad.Kia's run-out Cerato is $19,990 drive-away, plus free auto plus a $1000 gift card — making it the cheapest small car with auto in Australia. It's about $6000 off full price.In addition, all Kias have an unbeatable seven year/unlimited kilometre warranty.Holden's Step Up Sale has range of incentives, among them drive-away pricing, free auto and three years' free servicing.Holden is doing three years' free servicing on its SUVs, free auto and three years free servicing on the Colorado and Ute and free auto on Commodore. The Spark LS manual at $14,990 drive-away is just $1000 above its RRP.Ford's range is variously boosted by drive-away pricing, cash bonuses of $500, $1000 or $2000 dependent on the model, tech packs on some of the commercial vehicles (Ranger) and auto on some cars.Drive-away pricing is a given or should be at this time of year. If you can't get it, shop other brands.

New car sales are continuing at record pace, but there are big changes in the types of cars we are buying.

Hyundai’s upcoming Elantra SR has been spotted on Australian roads, months ahead of its showroom debut.An eagle-eyed CarsGuide reader snapped these shots of the hotted-up Elantra in Sydney this week, most likely undergoing final fine-tuning and testing of its locally-developing suspension and steering setup.While the Elantra caught in these pictures appears to have been de-badged to help it fly under the radar, it’s clearly a version of the turbocharged the SR revealed in South Korea in April. Telltale signs are the large bumper apertures flanking the black framed grille and the red-pinstripe headlight design. Other giveaways that this is the more hard-core Elantra are the larger front brake rotors, dual exhaust tips and diffuser in the rear bumper.More than just a small sedan in a tough body kit, the Elantra SR is set to be powered by the same 150kW 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine found in the Veloster SR. The sedan's handling is also set for a boost with the SR riding almost 20mm lower than normal, and also stepping up to multilink rear suspension over the regular torsion beam setup. A choice of either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual clutch auto transmission is also expected to carry across from the Veloster.new-generation ElantraThe gold Elantra was travelling in convoy with what looks to be an upcoming new version of the sports flavoured i30 SR. The existing SR and SR Premium use the same 17-inch wheel design as the luxury-spec i30 Premium, but the model spotted is wearing the same 17-inch double spoke design as the Elantra SR.  

Here are some of the best buys if you want to get in early before June 30.