Archive for Hyundai

Korean auto maker has uncovered the ix-onic crossover concept in Geneva. Powered by the new 1.6 liter GDi turbocharged 4 cylinder petrol engine that is capable of 170HP, this gorgeous looking concept previews the upcoming Tuscon crossover. Measuring 4,400 mm in length, 1,850 mm in width and 1,650 mm in height, the ix-onic features a front fascia with a hexagonal grille which was inspired by the 2006 Genus concept car and the 2008 i-mode concept car as well as head lights with daytime LED running lights, with more LED lights on the side mirrors.

With 21-inch polished alloy wheels, muscular lines flow from the side profile to the rear end, which is finished with high-mounted tail lamps and a rear window made of Lexan high-performance plastic instead of conventional glass that enabled the designers to give the rear window a much more three-dimensional shape.

The almost production-ready interior is dominated by silky cream-white leather and an X-shaped visual theme with embossed leather, with a cool easy-on-the-eye “ice blue” lighting. The 1.6 GDi engine is mated to a dual clutch 6 speed transmission. The 5-seater all wheel drive concept also comes with the Idle Stop & Go technology which enables the power plant to produce just 149 grams of emissions per kilometer. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

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The concept car you see here will toned down (especially the aggressive front bumper) for production as the replacement model for the next generation Hyundai Tucson SUV, or rather its expected new name, the Hyundai ix35. At the moment, it’s called the Hyundai HED-6 ix-ONIC concept, one that seats 5 and measures 4400mm long, 1850mm wide and 1650mm high. The production car will be assembled in Slovakia next to the 2010 Kia Sportage, a vehicle which it shares a platform and a majority of technical components with. The Sportage is expected to be out in February 2010, but no release date was indicated for the Tucson/ix35. Look after the jump for a rear view of the car.

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Hyundai is developing a minicar much like the Toyota iQ that aims to be “funkier”, more basic and more functional. A source in Hyundai likened the new vehicle ideally to be modular and minimalist in a Citroen 2CV kind of way. Hyundai is considering offering a single baseline model for easy and efficient supplier sourcing and manufacturing, but offering customisation packs for the cabin and paintwork for owners to individualize their cars. Above is Theophilus Chin’s take on the new car, which he has decided to name the Hyundai i0 (i-Zero). A rear view is available after the jump.

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This is the first official rendering of the new Hyundai Equus to be released by Korean car manufacturer Hyundai. The Equus (codenamed Hyundai VI) will be Hyundai’s flagship luxury vehicle, positioned against the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the BMW 7-Series above the Hyundai Genesis, which competes with the 5-Series/E-Class. This is going to be one huge monster as even the Genesis is rather large. In fact the Genesis marketing in the US says the car offers “7-Series size, 5-Series performance and 3-Series price”, so imagine how large this new Hyundai Equus is going to be! Other than being a behemoth, it’s also expected to offer a few firsts in the Hyundai range such as LED headlamps, making the Equus worthy of the “flagship car” title.

Hyundai, or rather BeiJing Hyundai has created this new look for the Sonata based on Chinese tastes and preferences, which seems right now to be in tune to a wackier version of the Toyota Aurion/Camry. Since the Sonata NF was designed to look a certain way, the Sonata NFC (NF China?) ends up looking like a mish-mash of the front and rear ends of another car slapped onto the mid-section of the Kia Optima.

The Sonata NFC will be called the Hyundai Ling Xiang in China, in order for it not to be confused with the Hyundai Sonata NF. It measures 4,815mm x 1,832mm x 1,475mm with a 2,730mm wheelbase. Price tags come in at 155,800 yuan for the baseline 2.0 liter model (cheaper than the cheapest Sonata NF at 165,800 yuan) and up to 228,800 yuan for the top of the range 2.4 liter model. There are a total of 6 variants.

Other than the different exterior looks, the interior also gets better rear seats to ensure a more comfortable ride for the rear passengers.

Coming up next: Beijing Hyundai is taking the previous generation Hyundai Sonata platform to develop another D-segment sedan that will slot in at a cheaper price than both the Sonata NF and the Sonata NFC. Production of the Sonata NF has now ceased as this Sonata NFC replaces it.

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Hyundai has launched the new Hyundai i20 in India. India will be a production base for the new i20, and i20s from Hyundai’s plant in Chennai is already being exported to locations around the world, which could include Malaysia as well, when Sime Darby gets around to bringing the car in. The recently launched Inokom i10 also came in as a CBU from India initially, but is now built from CKD packs sourced from India.

The new Hyundai i20 replaces the Hyundai Getz in Hyundai’s line-up, and will likely become the new Inokom i20 here in Malaysia. The Indian model only comes with a 1.2 liter all-aluminium Kappa engine producing 80 horsepower mated to a 5-speed manual, but the i20 is also designed to take a 100hp 1.4 liter, a 126hp 1.6 liter, and a range of diesel engines including two 1.4 liter units and two 1.6 liter units with outputs ranging from 75hp to 128hp.

Malaysia will likely get at least the 1.4 liter petrol, as with the current Inokom Getz.

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Hyundai has announced a new 6-speed automatic transmission that is smaller, lighter and more compact (41mm shorter) than any other 6-speed auto on the market, one that is so unique that it has applied for nearly 300 patents related to the transmission.

The 6-speed auto is also 12kg lighter, 41mm shorter and has 62 fewer parts than the 5-speed automatic it will replace in the Hyundai parts line-up. Fuel economy is improved by 12% thanks to the additional gear ratio. It is designed for transverse installations and uses “filled for life’ automatic transmission fluid that is designed not to need topping up.

The first application of this transmission in a production vehicle will be in a Hyundai Grandeur, where it will be paired to a 3.3 liter v6 engine.

Hyundai has developed a new turbocharged gasoline direct injection version of its Theta family engine. The Theta family is essentially a derivative of the GEMA World Engine project, a joint venture between Hyundai-Kia, Chrysler and Mitsubishi. It comes in 1.8, 2.0 and 2.4 liter sizes.

Derivatives of the GEMA engine found in cars sold in Malaysia include the Kia Optima 2.0, the Naza Citra II Rondo, the Mitsubishi Lancer and the Lancer Evolution. There have already been two turbocharged applications of GEMA derivatives in the market, a 2.4 liter turbo by Chrysler and a 2.0 turbo by Mitsubishi found in the Lancer Evolution.

Hyundai claims their Theta Turbo GDI engine has a capacity for up to 286 horsepower so far. Other than gasoline direct injection, it also features continuous variable valve timing. Various states of tune will probably be available – perhaps 200hp, 240hp and 286hp versions depending on the car its installed in.

Hyundai has just announced a new all-aluminium diesel engine family, the R-Engine family which comes in two displacements – 2.0 liter and 2.2 liter. These motors are key to Hyundai and Kia’s continued efforts to make it big in the European market, and they are Euro 5 compliant thanks to a close-coupled diesel particulate filter. The 2.0 liter unit produces 184 PS and 392Nm of torque while the 2.2 liter unit produces 200 PS and 436Nm of torque, which are pretty impressive figures for a single-turbocharged engine.

It uses an electronically controlled variable geometry turbocharger and a third generation commonrail system with piezo-electric injectors injecting fuel pressurized at 1,800 bar. It is driven by an internal steel silent timing chain, and also has a lower balance shaft encased in a stiffened ladder frame for increased rigidity. These measures helps reduce vibration.

The new R-Engine family will go into production in 2009 and will first appear in new SUVs and large saloons. The Hyundai ix55 and the new Kia Sorento will probably be one of the first few Hyundai vehicles to feature this engine.

The new Hyundai Elantra was launched some time ago and it has the distinction of being one of the few 2.0 liter C-segment sedans priced under RM100,000 which is sure to attract a few customers in this increasingly price sensitive market. We have just finished testing this Korean car. Here is what we found out.

Read Harvinder Singh Sidhu’s review after the jump.

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