First Hyundai i20's Arrive At Dealerships
The first batch of Hyundai i20 hatchback's started arriving at UK dealerships today in time for its official launch on the 15th January 2009.
Hyundai see the i20 as a replacement for its outgoing Getz, which despite its odd name, has sold more than 500,000 units since its launch in 2002.
Now the nomenclature has been changed to the more familiar 'i' family of names, Hyundai expect the i20 to achieve even greater heights and become its best ever selling car in Europe.
To do this, Hyundai needs to think smart because the b-segment is one of the toughest markets in which to succeed with supermodels like the Grande Punto, new Mazda 2 and Fiesta strutting the catwalk and taking centre stage.
One advantage Hyundai does have in its favour is the changing market. Nobody can argue in these increasingly hard times that value for money is the main focus on consumers minds and it's here that the Korean giant has this one in the bag. When you think 'value-for-money' you think Hyundai and only they can blow it by getting too confident and pricing themselves out of the market.
At £8,195 for the i20 1.2 Classic 3dr (due in April), Hyundai have certainly done their homework. Only the Mazda 2, mentioned above, has the edge in price here but lacks the specification and the warranty of the i20 and has the perceived image of being more expensive.
Of course one can always argue the Mazda 2, World Car Of The Year, will be superior in quality but that remains to be seen with Hyundai claiming price and budget wasn't the motivation behind this car. Instead the aim is to target the very same customers who'd consider the Mazda and who are also unfamiliar with the Hyundai badge, namely younger couples with families.
With the Autocar 'Automotive Manufactuer Of The Year' award and the economic downturn forcing consumers to downsize from larger cars, the momentum and opportunity is in the Korean car giants favour. The big question is: will the end of 2009 see the Hyundai-Kia group jump from the world's 5th largest car maker to the 4th?
I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Hyundai see the i20 as a replacement for its outgoing Getz, which despite its odd name, has sold more than 500,000 units since its launch in 2002.Now the nomenclature has been changed to the more familiar 'i' family of names, Hyundai expect the i20 to achieve even greater heights and become its best ever selling car in Europe.
To do this, Hyundai needs to think smart because the b-segment is one of the toughest markets in which to succeed with supermodels like the Grande Punto, new Mazda 2 and Fiesta strutting the catwalk and taking centre stage.
One advantage Hyundai does have in its favour is the changing market. Nobody can argue in these increasingly hard times that value for money is the main focus on consumers minds and it's here that the Korean giant has this one in the bag. When you think 'value-for-money' you think Hyundai and only they can blow it by getting too confident and pricing themselves out of the market.
At £8,195 for the i20 1.2 Classic 3dr (due in April), Hyundai have certainly done their homework. Only the Mazda 2, mentioned above, has the edge in price here but lacks the specification and the warranty of the i20 and has the perceived image of being more expensive.
Of course one can always argue the Mazda 2, World Car Of The Year, will be superior in quality but that remains to be seen with Hyundai claiming price and budget wasn't the motivation behind this car. Instead the aim is to target the very same customers who'd consider the Mazda and who are also unfamiliar with the Hyundai badge, namely younger couples with families.
With the Autocar 'Automotive Manufactuer Of The Year' award and the economic downturn forcing consumers to downsize from larger cars, the momentum and opportunity is in the Korean car giants favour. The big question is: will the end of 2009 see the Hyundai-Kia group jump from the world's 5th largest car maker to the 4th?
I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
posted by Tomauto at
12/11/2008 03:35:00 PM
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