Hyundai I40 2012 News

Hyundai will unveil the results of its collaboration Karim Rashid -- one of the world's greatest designers -- at the 2013 Seoul Motor Show. Karim Rashid is known for his creative and unprecedented vision, from product design to interior design, from furniture design to art. He has won the Red Dot award and over 300 other design achievements, catapulting him to international fame. "Karim Rashid's creative design philosophy and the unique individuality of Hyundai PYL (Premium Younique Lifestyle) brand represent a perfect match. Hyundai will showcase the i40 Art Car and a special design collection to offer visitors of the Hyundai booth at the Seoul Motor Show a variety of entertainment," said Won Hong Cho, Hyundai Motor's Chief Marketing Officer. Hyundai has included the i30, i40 and Veloster under the PYL brand umbrella in the domestic market. The concept behind the European mid-sized i40 Art Car styled by Rashid is best defined as ‘the joint between design and technology,’ and the exterior characterized by triangular and rainbow shapes intends to capture the speed and movements of the automobile. The i40 Art Car will work to effectively promote the strategic styling of the PYL segment, highlighting the highly unique qualities of the i40. Hyundai Motor also plans to showcase ‘Karim Rashid's Special Collection of PYL' consisting of four pieces - a wristwatch, a backpack, a carrier bag and a tumbler which will display Rashid's signature simple, unique design while maintaining the traditional function of these everyday items.  

As the eldest in our family, I was a bit like Hyundai. I had some good ideas, and I got there first, but Keith always managed to take what I'd begun and improve things.When I started as a paperboy I was happy to clear around $20 a week, but he lifted that to more than $40 on the same route and put it all in the bank. No frippery or splashing on motor magazines, that's for sure. He was also way better at anything practical, tougher on a football field, and first to head out from home.Just last week I was driving the new Hyundai Sante Fe and was impressed by the design, space, quality and seven-seater practicality. The steering felt wonky and the ride was floppy, but all-in-all it was a very impressive thing. This week I'm in the latest Kia Sorento and almost the same as the Sante Fe - no surprise there, since they're among the Hyundai-Kia clone cars - but a bit better.I think the driver's seat sits way too high for comfort and control, but the Sorento's suspension is massively better and the steering is good. It also feels more 'together' and a little quieter, and the extra refinement in the Sorento means I will always recommend it ahead of the Santa Fe.It's much the same as the Kia Sportage, which I prefer over the Hyundai ix35, the Kia Rio that trumps the Hyundai i20 - and currently holds the Carsguide Car of the Year crown - and the mid-sized Optima which is way better than either the i40 or i45 from Hyundai.Look at the sales figures this year and Hyundai is up by 4.9 per cent over 2011, holding fourth in the charts. Kia is only 11th, but its numbers are up by 26.9 per cent. Kia has the obvious advantage of building up from the basics set by Hyundai in everything from cabin size to engines, but it scores with the styling work by design ace Peter Schreyer and it also has Aussie suspension guru Graeme Gambold on the books.The Schreyer-Gambold double-punch lands every time, which could partly explain a major change at Hyundai that put former Holden marketing boss John Elsworth into the driving seat this week. He's going to lead a more locally-focussed management team tasked to deliver what Australians want in their cars, while holding the prices and value at the level Australians expect from Korean.'He could do a lot worse than to take a look, and a drive, in something with a Keith - sorry, Kia - badge. 

Yes, but why? That's the question dangling over Hyundai's new sedan, the four door take on the generally well-received i40 wagon. Again though, why, when the already much bigger i45 is around for much the same price? Hyundai's answer, in not so many words, is that the i40 is better. The sedan, like the five door sibling, hails from Hyundai's German R&D facility and the pencil of chief designer Thomas Burkle. It comes with decidedly European flavoured engines --  not least the diesel --  with suspension and steering bespoke for Australia. It is not, in other words, the big, sloppy, motion sickeness inducing i45 -- the least resolved car Carsguide has driven in recent years. "That was designed in California for the American market," Hyundai spokesman Stephen Howard says. "This is smaller. It is on a different platform to the i45. The i45 is made more for comfort, the i40 sedan has a more dynamic ride". It is also, for the moment, more dynamic than the i40 Tourer. Taking a cue from the book of susbidiary brand Kia, Hyundai sought bespoke tuning for this market, bringing in engineers from its Korean base to experience local conditions. "Those settings will come into the Tourer when the current stock in Australia is run out," Howard says. "There's major incentives and driveaway deals on those at the moment." The four mirrors the Tourer's spec levels -- Active, Elite and Premium -- and two four cylinder engine choices. The 2.0 direct injection petrol will doubtless sell more, but our pick would the hardy 1.7 turbo diesel with its 100kW/320Nm in auto form. Prices starts at a symbolic $29,990 for the manual petrol Elite few will buy up to an ambitious $44,590 ask for the the top spec diesel auto. Both transmissions have six speeds, though auto only from the Elite up. Standard kit dependent on the spend is impressive, running to nine airbags, cornering headlights and sat-nav system with SUNA capability displayed on a 7-in screen. The value equation is emphasised by Hyundai's standard five yearr/unlimted km warranty -- something most rivals cannnot or won't match. Unusual though it seems for the sedan to arrive after the wagion, this only comfirms the i40's Euro accent -- there the five door is always first out of scuplture's clay. Burkle has said he wanted to get away from the conventional three box sedan shape and that fluidly aerodynamic silhouette is about as far as a four door compact can escape -- though it's not miles away from Moray Callum's Focus sedan for Ford. Our first drive -- and we've a special one lined-up -- is ahead of us, but we'll hazard that here's another Korean car to steal Japanese thunder. Hyundai i40 Sedan Price: $29,990-$44,590 Warranty: 5 years/ unlimited kilometres Resale: NA Service Interval: 12 months/15,000km Safety Rating: Five star (Tourer) Engine: 2.0 litre 4-cyl petrol 113kW/214Nm; 1.7-litre 4-cyl turbo diesel 100kW/320Nm Transmission: 6-speed auto or man; FWD Thirst: 7.5L/100km petrol; 5.6L/100 diesel (autos) Dimensions: 4.7m (L) 1.8m (w) 1.4m (h) Weight: NA Spare: full-size  

Hyundai says the three years of free navigation map updates to the new generation Hyundai i30 and i40 sedan are a first for the Australian automotive industry. The free updates will also be added to all coming Hyundai cars with sat navs, including fresh stock of current models.  The NAVTEQ MapCare plan includes 7-in colour display, touchscreen, address input, lane guidance, speed limits warning and multi-route planning. “The inclusion of the NAVTEQ Mapcare programme and SUNA live traffic update software confirms we are not only delivering advanced technology in our vehicles, but ensuring our customers are always one step ahead with on-going support and data maintenance,” Hyundai product manager Andrew Tuitahi says. The updates are provided for those who service their vehicle at a Hyundai service centre, allowing for a maximum of two updates delivered on an annual cycle within the three years.   Rebeccah Elley on Google+

Hundreds of new and updated cars arrive in Australia each year but only one is good enough to make the honour role for Carsguide COTY.This time around the prize fight is tougher than ever, with new arrivals for 2011 covering every size and price class, from the ordinary Chery J1 from China to the exotic Ferrari 458 Italia from Italy. Neither of them makes the COTY cut, but that's another story ...The reach for COTY 2011 contenders actually stretches back to the final months of last year, to include a couple of cars that just missed the 2011 cutoff, and this time around the newcomers must have hit showrooms by December 1.So, unfortunately, the all-new Toyota Camry is a non-starter. It's the same for the make-or-break four-cylinder Falcon.But the class of 2011 covers all the bases, from affordable mini cars through family and prestige cars to a hot new coupe. The hopefuls come from Europe, Asia and Japan, as well as right home in Australia.Setting the field for 2011 was not easy, particularly with the outgoing champion - the Volkswagen Polo - still casting a considerable shadow.But each of the COTY judges, who cover the Carsguide contenders and drive them in all conditions from coast to coast, has called up their personal favourites from Alfa Romeo through to Volkswagen to help guide the selection process.Then it is the final cull by the COTY veterans to produce the top 10 for a gruelling two-day shootout to consider everything from design and safety through to value and their driving ability on a wide range of roads from Ford's You Yangs proving ground to freeways, suburban streets and gravel roads on the outskirts of Melbourne.The field is set, the race is about to be run, but we cannot get ahead of ourselves.So here are the 10 COTY contenders ... now it's over to the judges: 

And the Korean brand is taking the fight straight to the Ford Mondeo and Mazda6 wagons, with pricing and spec designed to lure their buyers. “Yes, we’ve got our eyes on the Mondeo wagon particularly,” Hyundai spokesman Stephen Howard says. The i40's $32,490 base price --  just $450 less than the Ford wagon’s entry point and $2250 less than the Mazda6 – puts you in the 130kW/213Nm 2.0-litre petrol engine with a six-speed manual transmission that appears only in the base spec. Adding $2000 gets you the six-speed automatic transmission with paddle-shifters on the steering wheel, and a further $2000 swaps the petrol engine for the all-new 100kW/325Nm 1.7-litre CRDi turbodiesel across the range. The Hyundai’s three trim levels - Active, Elite and Premium – open with a standard list that includes nine airbags, daytime running lights and ‘static bending’ headlamps, electronic park brake, Bluetooth, cruise control, 16-in alloys wheels, full-size spare and premium steering wheel with audio and phone controls. The auto-only Elite spec is $39,490 for the petrol, and includes premium audio, 17-in alloy wheels, larger disc brakes, alloy pedals, foglights, front and rear park assist, powered driver’s seat and rain-sensing wipers. The same drivetrain in Premium spec is $44,490, and includes 18-in wheels, heated/cooled leather seats front and rear, adaptive cornering high-intensity headlights, reversing camera, panoramic glass roof and extra cosmetic garnish. Hyundai believes buyers won’t be deterred by the higher pricing of the flagship. “We think the Premium spec will do well here, but we expect the petrol automatic drivetrain will be the most popular at all spec levels,” Howard says. The brand new wagon is shipping into Australian showrooms to go on sale in October. The German designed and engineered i40 is the latest to come from Hyundai's 'Fluidic Sculpture' design language, and features the signature hexagonal front grille and swept back headlights with curvilinear LED daytime running lights. Pricing Hyundai i40 Tourer Active 2.0-litre GDI petrol engine  six-speed manual transmission $32,490 2.0-litre GDI petrol engine six-speed automatic transmission $34,490 1.7-litre CRDi turbo-diesel engine six-speed manual transmission $34,490 1.7-litre CRDi turbo-diesel engine six-speed automatic transmission $36,490 Hyundai i40 Tourer Elite 2.0-litre GDI petrol engine six-speed automatic transmission $39,490 1.7-litre CRDi turbo-diesel engine six-speed automatic transmission $41,490 Hyundai i40 Tourer Premium 2.0-litre GDI petrol engine and six-speed automatic transmission $44,490 1.7-litre CRDi turbo-diesel engine six-speed automatic transmission $46,490  

However, Hyundai's new i40 sedan hits the world stage next week almost three months after the Korean company debuted its i40 estate (wagon). Hyundai Motor Company Australia product communications manager Ben Hershman explains that the European market dictated the about-face. "In Europe the wagon represents a very strong percentage of sales in the D segment, so Hyundai decided to engineer the wagon variant first,'' he says. The i40 wagon debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March and Hershman says it will arrive here later this year. The mid-sized i40 sedan version will debut at the Barcelona Motor Show next week, (MAY 12) but there is no confirmation it will come to Australia. Marketing director Oliver Mann says they are still reviewing the business case for the i40 sedan. "We are hoping to make a decision later in the year," he says. The i40 has been designed and engineered at Hyundai's research and development centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany. The drawings released by Hyundai show a handsome vehicle with heavily creased accent lines that swoop along the sides for a dramatic effect. Hyundai refers to the design DNA as ``fluidic sculpture'' which was introduced on the ix-onic concept car at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Chief designer Thomas Burkle says they wanted to move away from the three-box saloon design. "By sculpting a low, elongated roof line, we've given the i40 saloon a striking coupe-like silhouette,'' he says. The mid-sized car has a 2.77m wheelbase and Burkle says the interior has been shaped ``to deliver practicality and comfort to the driver and passengers in a high-quality package''.

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.