Hyundai plays catch up with i20

Hyundai's new hatchback, the i20. Photo / Supplied

You'd think Hyundai would be doing well in the small-car market, what with all those Getz hatchbacks running around. Turns out that it is - and it isn't.

Getz sold strongly to councils, health boards and other organisations that needed something with four wheels for staff to do their rounds, but struggled in the private market - those mums and dads and thrifty people who make up much of the segment that blooms every time fuel prices rise.

So far this year only 30 per cent of Hyundai's small-car offerings have gone private. By comparison, Suzuki, Mazda and Ford have sold about 60 per cent of their small cars to private buyers, Honda 50 per cent.

The new i20, which went on sale on Monday, is meant to address the imbalance, according to Hyundai executives at the car's launch in Auckland late last week.

The company plans to pump 400 i20s and the remaining 300 unsold Getz cars into the segment this year.

Price is on their side.

An i20 with a five-speed manual gearbox costs $25,990, the four-speed automatic $1000 more. Both are $2500 more than their Getz equivalents but Hyundai argues they are better equipped. It arrives at a time when the local market is performing well, with first-quarter sales up 14 per cent over the same time last year, and the light segment up 24 per cent. Hyundai has had 39 per cent growth but its sales in the light sector are down 11 per cent.

Hyundai describes a typical i20 buyer as, "a 'yoga mom', mature (52-plus years young), higher income, married woman, loyal to the light/small car segment, with a modern premium outlook". Under the bonnet is Hyundai's 1.4-litre Gamma engine, as fitted to the larger i30. It produces 73.5kW at 5500rpm and 136Nm of torque at 4200rpm. Overall fuel consumption of the automatic is rated at 6.4 litres/100km with CO2 missions of 152g/km. The manual is rated at 6 litres/100km and betters the CO2 score by 10g.

A diesel engine is coming and will probably produce 66kW and 224Nm of torque between 1750 and 2750rpm.

Safety gear includes half a dozen airbags and ABS braking with brake assist and stability control. It scores five stars from both the Australian and European NCAP safety-assessment programmes.

This version is likely to have a short life in New Zealand because it's arriving well into its pre-facelift model life. The i20 first went on sale overseas two years ago. It is understood that a reason for its tardy arrival was the number of Getz Hyundai had ordered and needed to sell.

Our i20 comes not out of Korea but from a factory near Chennai in India. Don't worry about that; vehicles on the launch programme were finished to a high standard.

The i20 could excel in its crowded market. It's reasonably roomy for its dimensions and well quipped for its price, although an Elite model with extras such as upgraded wheels and seat warmers is to be available.

Exterior styling is among the best in its class but the interior is plain.

On the road, the i20 handles competently on its front MacPherson struts and rear torsion beam suspension. The engine is smooth and quiet, offering good performance from its 1396cc displacement.

Meanwhile, down on the farm ...

Hyundai's New Zealand chief executive Tom Ruddenklau describes Country Calendar, the jewel in its basket of corporate sponsorships, as "a window into the world many people wished they lived in, or are keen to identify with".

Hyundai took over from the show's long-time sponsor, the National Bank, for its 45th season.

Ruddenklau said the company didn't take lightly its sponsorship of the "iconic" show and had spent a lot of time "understanding its culture".

The company is also a major sponsor of Fieldays, the Spirit of Adventure training ship, surfing and bowls.