Automotive News Europe - March 2020 - 18

Hyundai says the i10's exterior design offers a contrast between soft surfaces and sharp lines. The car's stance is
improved by its lowered roof and wider body.

Hyundai counts on new i10
to rise in key minicar sector
H

yundai hopes to increase its share of
Europe's minicar segment with the
third-generation i10. "The i10 is a key player for us in Europe," Hyundai Europe's head
of marketing and product, Andreas-Christoph Hofmann, said at the car's launch in
Lisbon in January. The i10 rose into the
segment's top five during the runout of
the second-generation model last year,
passing the Volkswagen Up, despite a 5.4
percent sales decline. And while a number
of automakers are leaving the segment,
Hofmann said Hyundai foresees continued
strong demand for minicars in Europe. The
i10 accounted for more than 14 percent of
the 555,000 cars sold by Hyundai in Europe last year, according to JATO Dynamics. Since its debut in 2008, more than 1.1
million i10s have been sold, Hyundai says.
Affordability is a key issue in the segment, so Hyundai decided to keep the
minicar's starting price below 11,000 euros. The automaker also limited the i10's
powertrain portfolio to a choice of two
gasoline engines. There is no current plan
to add any form of electrification to the
i10, although the car does have an energy
regeneration system that captures kinetic energy when the vehicle is coasting.
The energy is transformed into electricity that it stores in the battery. Hofmann,
however, conceded that to avoid future
EU emissions fines Hyundai will need to
electrify all of its models in the midterm.
To make the i10 more appealing to young-

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er buyers Hyundai enhanced the car's connectivity and infotainment features. "The
current age profile of the i10 buyers is not
as young as we would like," Hofmann said.
The new features in the i10 include an optional 8-inch color touchscreen, Apple Car
Play and Android Auto integration, wireless
charging and Hyundai's Bluelink telematics system with embedded 4G modem.
Compared with its predecessor, the i10
is 20mm wider (1680mm), 5mm longer
(3670mm) and the car's wheelbase has
grown by 40mm (2425mm), all of which
enhances the i10's interior roominess. As
part of Hyundai's promise to deliver "the
highest safety standard" in the segment,
a number of the i10's safety and driver
assistance features are standard. These
include lane-keeping assist, front-collision avoidance, driver-attention warning,
speed-limit recognition and high-beam active management.
-- Andrea Malan

The Basics
❚ Launch date: January 2020
❚ Base price: 10,990 euros (Germany)
❚ Where built: Izmir, Turkey
❚ Main rivals: Fiat Panda, Toyota

Aygo, VW Up, Renault Twingo

Fast Facts
❚ Engines: Two gasoline engines, a

1.0-liter, three-cylinder unit with 66
hp or a 1.2-liter, four-cylinder powerplant with 83 hp. Both versions can
be equipped with a five-speed manual
or 5-speed automatic transmission.
A 1.0-liter turbo gasoline with 99 hp
will arrive this summer for Hyundai's
sport N-line.
❚ Emissions: CO2 emissions range
from 108 grams per km to 127g/km,
according to the WLTP test cycle. The
1.0-liter version is also offered with
a fuel-saving so-called "Eco-pack"
that includes an adjusted gear ratio,
four seats instead of five and 14-inch
wheels.
❚ Active safety: Lane-keeping assist,
front-collision avoidance and driverattention warning are standard.

MARCH 2020

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Automotive News Europe - March 2020

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