Hyundai I40 2016 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.  

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+

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.