Hyundai Unveils 5-Door Verna in China

Hyundai has revealed the 5-door hatchback variant of the Verna (Accent) at the Ghangzhou Motor Show in China.

According to Hyundai, the 5-door Verna was developed exclusively for the Chinese market and will go on sale there early in January. The 4-door variant was introduced last August.

The Chinese market Verna will be built locally at a plant in Beijing. It will come with two petrol engines - a 1.4 liter and 1.6 liter. The entry-level 1.4 Gamma engine develops a total of 108 PS (79 kW) and 135 Nm of torque. The 1.6 liter Gamma comes with an output of 124 PS (90 kW) and 155 Nm of torque.

Hyundai sales are growing quickly in China. The Korean brand expects Chinese market sales of around 700,000 units for 2010. By 2012, when a third Chinese plant starts production, Hyundai will have a capacity to build 1 million vehicles a year for the local market.



[Source: Hyundai]

Hyundai Gears Up for 3rd Chinese Plant Groundbreaking in September

Hyundai announced on Sunday that it will break ground in September for its third Chinese plant at the Beijing River Industrial Development Zone in Shunyi District. A company executive said, "We have finished final negotiations with the Beijing city government and all that remains is to sign the official agreement."

Beijing Hyundai, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor and Beijing Automotive Group, currently has two plants in Shunyi District that can produce a combined 600,000 vehicles a year. The company aims to sell at least 670,000 cars this year, and demand in China has already surpassed production capacity.

Hyundai had pushed for the third plant since the end of last year, but the negotiations were hindered by the Beijing city government's tough demands, including the transfer of more technology to Beijing Automotive and greater usage of Chinese-made parts.

Hyundai plans to build some 150,000 Avante compacts a year at the new plant from May 2012. According to industry insiders, the company is also considering a plan to produce its new Grandeur sedan (code-named "HG"), which is to be released in Korea late this year, at the plant from late 2012 for sale in the Chinese market.

[Source: The Chosun Ilbo]

Hyundai-Kia Beats Toyota in Europe and China

Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group outsold Toyota in Europe in the first half of the year, and has also beaten the Japanese carmaker in China, the world's largest auto market.

According to a report released Wednesday by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, Hyundai's sales jumped 28 percent on-year to 328,000 units in the January to June period, and Kia's 76 percent to 160,000 units.

Their combined sales reached a record high of 488,000 units. If the current trend continues, Hyundai-Kia is likely to achieve its sales target for the year of one million units (Hyundai 670,000 and Kia 330,000) in China.

Toyota outperformed other Japanese carmakers with sales of 362,000 vehicles in China, up 27 percent from the previous year, but it sold 126,000 units less than the Korean automotive group.

Hyundai-Kia has been pulling ahead of Toyota in major global markets except for North America. It sold a combined 329,000 units in Europe in the first six months, 3,000 more than Toyota's 326,000.

[Source: The Chosun Ilbo]

Beijing: Hyundai Unveils All-New Verna (Accent)

Of the more U.S.-relevant reveals at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show in China today is this Hyundai Verna. Why? Because it's the overseas version of what we know as the 2011 Hyundai Accent.

Sporting Hyundai's latest 'fluidic sculpture' design language, the Verna comes off overall as a shrunk-down 2011 Sonata - not that that's a bad thing. The now-familiar sweeping side character line, oversized headlights, and wavy front grille are all present on the new Accent - a vehicle that has been in need of a significant makeover for some time.

From what we can see of the interior, Hyundai seems to have applied a slightly up-market touch to the inside of its new Verna. The Korean automaker also claims to have made large improvements to NVH levels in the compact sedan.

Underhood, the 2011 Verna features the new-generation Gamma gasoline engine in either 1.4-liter or 1.6-liter DOHC inline-four configurations. The larger of the two is expected to be offered in the U.S. and 106 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque are available in the Chinese-spec version. Transmission options include a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic.

Hyundai, like many other automakers, has been enjoying strong sales in China, with over two million vehicles being sold there since the brand arrived in 2002. In 2009, Hyundai posted a 94-percent year-over-year sales boost, making for an easy decision to maintain its presence in the market.

We'll continue to keep you updated as more information on the U.S.-spec 2011 Hyundai Accent arrives.

[Source: Hyundai via Motor Trend]

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Hyundai, Kia Rank 2nd in Car Sales in China Last Year

Hyundai and its affiliate Kia have collectively ranked second in China in the number of vehicles sold last year, thanks to increased demand for their compact cars amid an economic slump, according to industry data. According to the data provided by automobile companies in China, Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 811,695 units of vehicles in the rising nation last year. The Korean companies followed Volkswagen which ranked first by selling 1.39 million units.

Hyundai saw its car sales jump 93.6 percent on-year to 570,309 units last year, while its affiliate and the nation's No. 2 automaker Kia sold 241,386 units, up 70 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.

Based on the numbers, the two companies outpaced their Japanese rival Toyota, whose ranking fell from the second to the fourth. Exact figures on how many vehicles the Japanese company sold in China were not available.

[Source: Trading Markets]

China: Hyundai Elantra tops sales charts for June

Hyundai has seen record sales and profits for June 2008 throughout the world, and China was no exception. The Hyundai Elantra was the best-selling car in China in June with 24,257 units sold. In May, Hyundai sold 12,239 units of the popular compact sedan in the country.

This was quite a commendable feat as the Elantra managed to rise four ranks to the top from last month. In May, the Volkswagen Jetta was the best-seller with the Volkswagen Santana, Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla, and Hyundai Elantra following behind. In June, the Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Santana, Volkswagen Jetta, and Buick Excelle made the top five rounding.

Mid-size car sales have fallen considerably due to the changing gas prices, and the Toyota Camry was particularly hit hard. On the other hand, sales of compact cars are expected to only increase dramatically as the gas prices show no sign of stopping for a couple of months.

[Source: China Car Times]

Hyundai i30 heading to China

To reach this year’s production and sales targets, Beijing Hyundai has decided to produce another new model of Hyundai in addition to the Elantra in the second half of 2008. Sources said that the Hyundai i30 will be made in the second plant of the joint venture later this year.

When its construction is completed later this year, the second plant of Beijing Hyundai will have an annual capacity of 300,000 vehicles. Hyundai aims to sell 100,000 Elantra units in 2008, thus meaning the new plant’s capacity will be used for the production of a new C-segment Hyundai.

China: Hyundai vows to improve image, confirms luxury brand

For those who plead Hyundai to introduce a luxury brand for countless years, the wish has been granted - that is, if you reside in China. As a chiefly move to improve the image of the brand in the country, Hyundai will launch a premium brand as early as 2010.

"We are refurbishing our brand image in China," says Young-Key Koo, chief representative of Hyundai Motor China for sales and marketing.

Launching a high-end automaker is more than difficult when the words "economical" and "affordable" dominate the minds of consumers in China regarding the brand. Hyundai's strong sellers in China are the Elantra and Sonata. The two models are also widely used in taxi fleets across the country, with the former being the second most popular next to the Volkswagen Santana. In an effort to improve the brand image, Hyundai will remove a few of its low-priced models - the most significant being the Matrix. In turn, Hyundai will launch the Rohens (Genesis in other markets) in April. The Genesis Coupe will replace the Coupe in October with a higher price tag. A refreshed Santa Fe and Azera will also debut in China for 2009.

[Source: China Daily via Gasgoo.com]

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Hyundai also plans to introduce a luxury model more expensive than the Rohens - this one packing a larger 4.8L V8. A crossover is also scheduled to be released. Hyundai vows to continuously bring out premium cars to reinforce its brand image. 2010 is the year Hyundai is slated to launch its luxury brand, along the lines of Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti.

Immediate efforts to ameliorate the brand's perception have commenced already. The company's advertising budget was increased 60 percent in 2007. The number of dealerships in the country have grown from 23 to 42. Since September of 2007, Hyundai has vowed to recuperate on the 4 S's - sales, service, spare parts and survey stores. Plans to renovate its dealerships into more upscale environments have undergone.

Hyundai is gaining territory in one of the largest markets for the automaker. But, what about us folks in North America? Speculations point to the introduction of the premium-oriented brand in our continent as well. It is only a matter of Hyundai whipping up official word on that. And, if you haven't noticed, Hyundai has already showed signs of image improvement on our shores despite the monotonous sales numbers. How about those monotonous sales numbers? Well, Hyundai has plans to release more models throughout the decade and as you know, each redesign released by them seem to only improve upon its predecessors. That already, ipso facto, is a sign that points Hyundai to a brighter outlook in the years to come.