Hyundai Imax News

Does anybody really do April Fools' Day pranks anymore? Apparently so.

The humble delivery van is an essential tool of trade for many workers around the world.But what if the daily grind of ferrying goods from A to B could be done a lot faster?Ford, and a few other carmakers, clearly believe that commercial vans, and the peo

After nine months of trading, Australia's new car sales shows no signs of lifting by the end of the year.Overall, the market has dropped 7.9 per cent to 8111,464 to the end of September, with Toyota (154,515, -6.3%) once again the dominant player in the A

Have you ever wanted lap a race track but worried about how you'd find the space for you and seven of your closest friends? Well worry no longer, with Hyundai pulling the covers off its utterly bonkers iMax N "drift bus" ahead of the World Time Attac

Hyundai Australia has introduced its facelifted iLoad van and iMax people-mover ranges, which are highlighted by a restyled front end and increased equipment levels.

It’s official: Australians now buy more SUVs than passenger cars, or at least they did in February.

The Hyundai iLoad van and iMax eight-seat shuttle get more fuel-efficient diesel engines and a new six-speed manual transmission.Petrol model prices remain unchanged, starting at $29,990 for the iLoad and $37,290 for the iMax. The diesels start at $34,990 for the iLoad and $39,990 for the iMax.The new engines are 2.5-litre CRDi turbo diesels with either a wastegate turbo or a variable geometry turbo mated to a new six-speed manual transmission.In iLoad configuration this delivers 8.0 L/100km, a 6 per cent reduction in fuel consumption; while the uprated 2.5-litre CRDi turbo diesel engine and five-speed automatic transmission combination achieve 8.8L/100km, an 8 per cent improvement. The iMax minibus uses a tad more.In the manual, the diesel engine's peak torque now starts earlier in the rev range from 1500 rpm through to 2500 rpm. Peak power is either 100kW (wastegate) or 125kW for the variable geometry turbo engine on automatic models. This unit generates some 441Nm of torque.Hyundai design and manufacture their own transmissions in-house.The new six-speed manual gearbox utilises multi-cone synchronisers for improved shift quality, and includes a button-operated reverse gear lock-out to provide further ease of operation. The short stroke of the transmission ensures a quick and accurate shift action to further enhance the economy of the driveline.The iLoad can handle up to two pallets with ease within its 4.3 cubic metre capacity, while offering seating for three or up to six in crew van configuration. For moving people plus their lifestyle accessories and luggage, iMax is a class leader. With flexible eight-seat capacity, plus plenty of stowage space behind the third row and a well thought out, comfortable and well-appointed interior including dual-zone air conditioning, to ensure occupants travel in space and comfort. 

But Kia has valiantly soldiered on against the odds as sales of fellow Korean Hyundai - which owns 38 per cent of Kia - has shot ahead on the back of the i30, iMax and iLoad and its market share has grown to 7 per cent. However, Kia is pinning its future on a product-led recovery that it expects to increase sales and its market share.Kia is one of only a handful of brands this year that have increased market share, despite its sales slipping 6.7 per cent. Kia Australia's national sales manager, Alan Crouch, acknowledges there will be comparisions with Kia's performance against Hyundai. "But they have reached a critical mass and we're still some way off," he says.Crouch says Kia is on track to sell around 20,000 vehicles this year, the same as last year, despite the economic slowdown. "We'll be very happy with that," he says. "We think the market will be around 850,000 and our market share will be about 2.5 per cent compared to 1.8 per cent last year."Crouch says Kia Australia has done a lot of development work this year "sowing the ground" for future product and more investment. Dealer numbers have grown from 108 to 117 and for the first time there is now a dealer in Alice Springs and Broome. "As we said when we launched Soul, Kia is a different company now," he says.Crouch says the company has also had a more consistent approach to advertising and marketing, moving away from the budget brand tag. Fresh European-inspired product is also driving new buyers into showrooms. "What we're noticing is that the people who are buying our cars are changing," he says. They are younger, design-driven people, he says. "We're seeing people we have never seen before in a Kia dealership."Crouch attributes this change to the new Cerato sedan and Soul and their competitive pricepoints. He expects more people will cross shop against Kia with the arrival of the Koup and the new Sorento off-roader in a few months.However, those looking to compare in the van segment will have less luck. The cheap and cheerful Kia Pregio diesel van won a legion of fans because of its practicality, and also helped underpin Kia sales locally. But since it was withdrawn in 2006 Kia has moved on and a replacement is unlikely, according to Alan Crouch. "The facts are that there is not a product applicable to the Australian market going forward, especially on safety," Crouch says.Given the high-level of specification and safety now required for the local light commercial van market, Crouch says filling the space left by the Pregio would be difficult.The Cerato, Soul and Koup also show that Kia is moving on from being a rudimentary carmaker, he says. 

However, of seven vans rated by ANCAP, just three, including the iLoad, have four-star ratings.The others are the Mercedes-Benz Vito and Volkswagen Transporter. By comparison, the best-selling Toyota Hi-Ace gets a three-star rating.ANCAP manager, Michael Case, said many work vans and other commercial vehicles still lacked proven lifesaving safety features like anti-skid brakes or electronic stability control. Few vans have them fitted as standard, he said."No commercial vehicles currently have a five-star rating, which requires excellent crash protection plus head-protecting side airbags and electronic stability control," Case said.He praised the iMax and iLoad results but said other carmakers still need to lift their game. The iMax and iLoad were crashed at 64km/h to simulate an off-set head-on collision with another car. He is also urging businesses to put safety ahead of penny-pinching when purchasing work vehicles."It's a question of occupational health and safety," he said."The OHS requirements on employers to provide a safe work environment do extend to work vehicles and that often means the commercial vehicles we're talking about." Fleet managers no longer have any excuse to buy unsafe vehicles, Case said."ANCAP is seeing mixed safety performance in its recent crash tests of van-style vehicles and the Hyundai results are good to see," he said. "It has put considerable effort into improving the safety of its vehicles and the results reflect that effort."Case also said parents who also use their work vans as family transport at weekends are risking their families' lives. "That's of particular concern," he said.Both the iLoad and iMax get dual front airbags, anti-skid brakes and electronic brake distribution as standard. The iMax also gets stability control but it is still optional on the iLoad. 

After claiming top prize in the Carsguide Car of the Year award for 2008 the blue oval brand's family favourite has also been named as Best Family Car in the Australia's Best Cars awards for 2008.It is the only homegrown champion among the 12 winners in the annual contest judged by Australia's motoring clubs as a consumer guide to new-car showrooms.The winners claimed their crowns after a massive assessment of 280 individual contenders, who are judged against three basic measurements: value for money, design and on-road performance.The field was trimmed to 36 finalists across the 12 categories, and these were then extensively road tested to find the winners in each size and price class.The champion crew for 2008 runs from the Mazda2 Neo at the bottom, through the Falcon and Hyundai iMax people mover to the luxury Lexus GS450h hybrid and the luxury BMW X5 four-wheel drive.But it is the Falcon which has made the biggest impact, according to Best Cars' chief judge Ernest Litera."The winning 2008 Ford Falcon XT represents a concerted effort on product refinement; the model is not an all-new chassis and engine but more a refinement to the engine to produce better performance and fuel economy," says Litera."The ride and handling package has also improved significantly and feels more like the quality cars we would expect to come out of Europe, without compromising on space, touring ability and towing that Australians also often look for."Litera praises the general standard of the vehicles which made the shortlist in 2008."The finalists are a good set of cars - we are very pleased with the sorts of cars that have come on to the Australian market this year."The judges are seeing a steady improvement in the quality of vehicles on the Australian market - particularly in the area of safety equipment and crash test results alongside their on-road performance."They have to perform well in crash tests conducted by Australia's leading crash test and vehicle safety advocate, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program, and the ANCAP results show vehicles are definitely safer today without compromising performance."But he says the choices, even exotics such as the Audi TT-S sports car and the heavyweight Land Rover Discovery four-wheel drive, are always assessed against the needs of potential owners."These are consumer awards where every score on every vehicle is made available to help buyers make informed purchasing decisions," says Litera.Full details of the Best Cars awards can be viewed at australiasbestcars.com.au or in the Australia's Best Cars magazine, available from newsagents. Australia's Best Cars 2008 WinnersBest Small Car: Mazda2 NeoBest Mid-Size Car under $28,000: Hyundai i30 SXBest Mid-Size Car over $28,000: Mazda6 ClassicBest Large Car: Ford FG Falcon XTBest People Mover: Hyundai iMaxBest Sports Car: BMW 135i Coupe SportBest Luxury Sports Car: Audi TT-S TFSI QuattroBest Prestige Car: Audi A4 TDIBest Luxury Car: Lexus GS450hBest Recreational 4WD: Volkswagen Tiguan TDIBest Luxury 4WD: BMW X5 3.0dBest All-Terrain 4WD: Land Rover Discovery 3SE TDV6