Unlike other manufacturers who are gradually throwing in the towel on the compact car segments, Hyundai reaffirms its desire to keep its small i10, i20 and i30 models.
A few days ago, Hyundai presented a slight restyling for its i10 micro-city car, already four years old. It should continue its career for a few more years before being replaced, as confirmed by Michael Cole, president of Hyundai Motor Europe.
It was during the presentation of the new Kona that Michael Cole answered our colleagues d’Autocar about the future of the manufacturer’s compact range. According to him, we must continue to offer models other than SUVs, so as not to move away from part of the clientele, especially in Europe where the brand’s city cars are still popular.
Michael Cole, patron de Hyundai Motor Europe
“We are now strategizing on what sits under the Kona for the long term. For now, the i10, i20, i30 are still in our plan, even for the next generation”, expressed the boss of Hyundai Europe. “I believe there’s a market below the Kona and maybe even in more traditional body styles, like the hatchback. It’s in our thinking, rather than necessarily in our long-term plan now, but for the European market, we have to think about it,” he continued. “We don’t want to lose any customers, I don’t want to walk away from any group of customers. So we have to think about those i10, i20, i30 customers,” Cole concluded.
Electrification to be planned
While most manufacturers are abandoning their city car programs in favor of SUVs (Peugeot 108 and Citroën C1 since spring 2022, Ford Ka+ since 2019 and Fiesta from June 2023, Renault Twingo in 2024), Hyundai is resisting. The Korean manufacturer knows that there will be adjustments to be made, in particular electrification to meet ever stricter standards. But there is no question of depriving yourself of a large clientele in Europe, which has fewer and fewer choices in the category. Even if this has a significant cost and makes the segment unprofitable.
Still under discussion today, European legislation could require manufacturers to sell only electric vehicles from 2035. This therefore leaves Hyundai twelve years to continue to market at least an entire generation of combustion i10, i20 and i30.
Photos : DR.
Also read on Auto-Moto.com:
Hyundai i10: light restyling for the city car
Hyundai i30 SW 1.0 T-GDi 120 DCT7 test – 2020: good little wagon
Road book: La Rochelle in a Hyundai i20
