Hyundai IX35 News

Hyundai Australia has issued an urgent recall for almost 20,000 examples of its i30 hatchback following the discovery of a fuel fault that could lead to a sudden loss of power.The fault affects only the i30 PD model made between 2020-2021 and involves 18,634 vehicles in Australia.Hyundai Australia has issued a statement explaining the fault is connected to the fuel supply which can cause the vehicle to lose power.“Due to a manufacturing defect, the fuel pump impeller may become deformed under certain environmental conditions, interrupting the fuel supply,” Hyundai’s statement reads. “If this occurs, the engine could stall resulting in a sudden loss of motive power.“Owners of affected vehicles will be contacted in writing by Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA), asking them to schedule an appointment as soon as possible to have the fuel pump impeller inspected and replaced, free of charge.”Owners who may be concerned are encouraged to speak to their local dealer or contact Hyundai’s customer care line on 1800 186 306.The i30 has long been in Hyundai’s top three best-selling vehicles. Sales of the i30 year-to-date to the start of September have totalled 7447 units. Hyundai’s latest recall follows another recall in March for the 8700 ix35 SUVs due to a brake fluid leak.

Hyundai has issued a recall notice for SUVs due to a fire risk. More than 8700 ix35 mid-size SUVs built between 2012 and 2013 are affected. The notice issued by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts said a manufacturing defect could lead to a fire while the car was driving or parked.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced its latest round of safety recalls, with models from Subaru, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Mazda, Toyota and Ford affected.

This weekend is shaping as a good one to buy a new car, as three of the four top-selling brands hold sales events.

With some well-known models in run-out and others protecting their turf against new arrivals, there are some good factory deals to be had this week.

The latest sales figures show we are now buying almost as many SUVs as we are buying regular cars.In the first three months of this year, SUVs of all shapes and sizes represented a staggering 42 per cent of all passenger cars sold (95,000 of 224,000), according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.Sales of SUVs have almost doubled in the past 10 years, from 173,000 in 2004 to 352,000 last year.The industry believes the SUV boom will continue until at least 2020, where they may even overtake passenger cars.It costs little more to get into an SUV these days than it does to buy a hatchbackThe new generation of city-sized SUVs, or "faux-wheel-drives", are essentially a high-riding hatchback — and most lack a proper all-wheel-drive system or sufficient ground clearance to climb a street gutter."Buyers love the tall driving position, and the flexibility of a wagon without looking like they're driving a wagon," says Richard Johns of Australian Automotive Intelligence.Mr Johns said price was also a factor in the popularity of SUVs."It costs little more to get into an SUV these days than it does to buy a hatchback," he said."The most popular SUV models also cost less than the typical $35,000 starting for the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon."Love them or hate them, sales of SUVs are driving the record growth in the new-car market.Last month, an Australian record for car sales in March, SUV deliveries were up by 15 per cent in a market that was up by 8 per cent.Honda sold more HR-Vs than Civic hatchbacks, Hyundai sold more ix35s than it did of its Accent small car, the Mitsubishi ASX outsold the Lancer, Toyota sold more RAV4s than it did Toyota Yaris hatchbacks and Nissan sold twice as many X-Trails as it did Pulsar sedans and hatches.And the pint-sized Mazda CX-3 outsold the Ford Falcon in March, even though the just-released Mazda had only been on sale for the last eight days of the month.The SUV specialist brands are cashing in. Jeep sales were up 15 per cent and Land Rover up 19 per cent last month.The SUV phenomenon has also hit the top end of town.SUVs now account for more than half of the sales for Toyota's luxury division Lexus, and its oddly-styled NX SUV was the brand's biggest selling model in March.The Porsche Cayenne and Macan SUVs each outsell the 911 sports car by more than four to one.BMW this week released a $200,000 high performance version of its 2.2 tonne BMW X5 that can outrun a Porsche 911.Even Rolls-Royce has joined the fray, planning to release an SUV within the next three years, although it refuses to use the term "SUV", preferring instead to call it a "high riding vehicle".Clearly some people still look down on SUVs.

Its upcoming ix25 baby is being built in India to cut costs but will only be eligible for a four-star safety rating, one short of the industry benchmark in Australia.So Hyundai fans will have to wait as much as two years before a better and safer car, based on the company's Intrado concept from the Geneva motor show in 2014, is ready to go.We won't have a small SUV for two or three yearsThe ix35 will also move out of the compact class later this year when a slightly larger all-new model arrives in Australia and it changes its name back to Tucson."We won't have a small SUV for two or three years. We will have to wait a few years until the global small SUV is launched and comes to Australia," says Hyundai Australia COO John Elsworth."When we move from ix35 to Tuscon in quarter three we won't have a vehicle in that segment."Elsworth is noncommittal about the name change. He admits an ix25 is coming but says it's focused on left-hand drive and low-cost countries in Asia, and points to the Intrado as the direction for Australia."We're waiting for the global SUV, which is a different car. Look at the Intrado," he says.It will not meet the minimum safety standard for us in Australia. That's five-star ANCAPElsworth is blunt about the reason for the decision and the subsequent delay."It will be produced in India for RHD, but as far as we are aware it will not meet the minimum safety standard for us in Australia. That's five-star ANCAP".Hyundai is currently battling on a number of fronts to get its line-up right for Australia.It is confident of selling more than 100,000 cars in 2015, a benchmark it cleared for the first time last year, but is battling to make the numbers work for the next-generation i10 and i20 models it needs in the sub-$15,000 class.The new-generation cars coming out of Europe are a very challenging business caseThe weakness of the Australian dollar against the euro is creating problems, Elsworth says."The new-generation cars coming out of Europe are a very challenging business case," he says. "We'll get back to you on that. We're still working on the plan."It's very premature. It's a work in progress. Our CEO was in Korea last month starting the discussions."On the name game, Elsworth shrugs off any criticism of the decision to switch the ix35 to Tucson, the name it wore when the model was first introduced."It's a global naming strategy. It doesn't matter what I think. It's just changing," says Elsworth."Sometimes the importance of the name can be overstated. There are some cars with odd names that sold well. We've just got to educate the market.""It's a marketing challenge. It's probably not the most efficient way to market cars."

Hyundai installs Australia's first hydrogen refuelling point since 2007.Toyota and Honda may have just unveiled their hydrogen-powered cars of the future, but Hyundai's is here today.Hyundai is installing Australia's first hydrogen-refueling point for passenger cars at its Sydney headquarters, and it has just imported its first hydrogen-powered car.But rather than the spaceship looks of the Toyota and Honda sedans, Hyundai's hydrogen car is based on a family-friendly SUV.The first hydrogen-powered Hyundai ix35 arrived in Australia two months ago and the company has commenced the installation of a local refueling point.However, hydrogen cars are a long way from showroom reality in Australia as there are currently no other refill stations.Hyundai's will be the first hydrogen refuelling point in Australia since the three-year hydrogen bus trial in Perth ended in 2007."We are excited by hydrogen technology and what it could mean for the future of transport, said Hyundai Australia boss Charlie Kim."However, the challenge of creating and distributing hydrogen through a viable, sustainable network is a significant one."Hyundai says government intervention is required to develop a hydrogen highway."We are not a political entity, nor are we aligned with any political party. However, we have seen in other countries that governments play a crucial role in developing hydrogen refuelling infrastructure," said Mr Kim, whose company has been in discussions with the federal government for two years."The reaction has been very positive. Maybe one day we'll see a 'Hydrogen Highway' built in Australia, like those already in operation overseas," said Mr Kim.Hyundai says, for example, "the 'Hume by Hydrogen' could link Australia's two largest cities via the nation's Capital. It would require four refuelling stations – in Sydney, Canberra, Albury and Melbourne – and could see hydrogen vehicles – including buses – running in and between these cities emitting nothing but water vapour."Experts believe electric and hybrid cars are merely a stepping stone to hydrogen-powered vehicles.They can be refueled in five minutes and can travel about 450km on each tank – both about the same as a petrol car.In ideal conditions,driving purely for efficiency, the Hyundai has travelled 700km on one tank during a test in Sweden.Hydrogen cars have been leased to specialist customers in Japan, Europe and North America, where the refueling points are more common, albeit still growing in numbers.In such cars hydrogen is used to power a "fuel cell" to generate electricity which is then used to either power the electric motor or charge the battery, or both. The only emissions from the tailpipe is water vapour from the fuel cell.In the case of the ix35, the only difference between the hydrogen-powered version and the regular model is that it loses the underfloor space in the boot that usually houses the spare tyre (to house part of the hydrogen system).The Hyundai ix35 went into mass production in South Korea earlier this year and is made on the same production line as the regular model, but is being sold in limited numbers.The car is unlikely to go on sale in Australia as it is left-hand-drive only for now but the company is gauging interest in future models.Hyundai's hydrogen refueling point is due to open early next year and the company says it is happy to allow other brands to use it.At last month's Los Angeles motor show, Honda and Toyota unveiled futuristic-looking hydrogen cars due in showrooms in the next two years, but neither are planned for Australia at this stage. Hyundai's refueling point could change that.

New Honda Jazz sets new benchmark for rear view cameras: $14,990.

HYUNDAI is recalling every ix35 -- Australia's biggest-selling small SUV -- made over the past three years. The South Korean car maker is recalling 32,525 examples of its ix35 built from January 2011 to December 2013 because the airbag in the steering wheel may not be secured properly and the horn may not work.It is the second recall for the same model so far this year and part of a global recall of more than 137,500 Hyundai vehicles announced last week. In January, Hyundai recalled 6193 of its ix35 SUVs due to a potentially faulty seatbelt pre-tensioner.A statement from Hyundai about the latest safety issue said: "An incorrectly tightened bolt could result in the misalignment of the airbag module, possibly affecting its deployment, and could also affect the operation of the horn."Hyundai says there have been no reported incidents in Australia but customers may notice a rattle in the steering wheel. "It will not cause the airbag to deploy unintentionally," says the Hyundai Australia statement. "(But) the effectiveness of the airbag could be reduced if the bolt is not tightened properly."A safety bulletin has been published on recalls.gov.au and Hyundai customers will be notified by mail in the coming days to have their cars checked free of charge and the bolts tightened if necessary. During preliminary inspections only four vehicles have needed to have their airbag bolts tightened, the company says.In April 2013, Hyundai called 227,000 cars back to dealers to fix a faulty brake light switch that affected eight models, most of its range, after News Corp Australia exclusively unearthed the fault 15 months earlier.But that incident was not documented on recalls.gov.au because Hyundai successfully argued with authorities that potentially faulty brake lights were "not a safety issue" and the repairs could be done as a "dealer service campaign".In its formative years Hyundai refused to issue a recall even after the front suspension assembly of 46 Hyundai Excel cars collapsed while in traffic and/or on the move in 1998.The latest Hyundai ix35 safety campaign is the 33rd vehicle recall so far this year, including one for nine different types of Aston Martin models.The biggest recalls so far this year were Toyota's bulletins issued in April which affected almost 300,000 vehicles: 118,600 Yaris small cars because the seats could slide forward and 179,000 HiLux utilities for a potential airbag failure.Weird car recalls:Land Rover: "assorted models" recalled because the indicators don't flash enough times with one touch (May 2014)Chinese Foton ute: 316 vehicles recalled to replace the wheel jack (May 2014)Aston Martin: all models made between 2007 and 2013 recalled because the accelerator pedal arm may break (January 2014)Ford Falcon LPG sedan: 372 vehicles recalled because the wrong size wheels were fitted (February 2013)Great Wall Motors utes: 23,000 vehicles recalled because some gaskets contained asbestos (August 2012)Holden Commodore ute: 34,432 vehicles recalled because the tailgate could pop open (July 2010)This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling