Hyundai has revealed the first photo of the new-generation i30, ahead of the car’s world premiere at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) next week, showing an exciting new look for the company’s best-selling C-Segment hatchback.
Tony Whitehorn, Managing Director, Hyundai Motor ?K says: ‘The all-new i40 Tourer is a stylish yet uncompromised addition to the medium family estate car market. It offers exceptionally low CO2 emissions and high fuel economy; an intuitive, spacious and contemporary interior package combined w?th an unparalleled level of standard equipment for its class
With the numbers rolling in from major automakers today, it’s difficult to not see progress in August 2011’s car sales figures versus those posted in July–but still, the overall trend is slow, slow, slow.
According to market analysts at J.D. Power, the seasonally adjusted seling rate (SAAR) for August 2011 totaled 9.9 million retail units, a slight improvement over figures for July, but well off the 11-million-unit rate seen in February.
When fleet sales are factored in, the 12.1-million-unit SAAR actually fell a fraction of a percent versus July.
Economic frustration continues to keep car shoppers away from dealerships, Power’s director of global forecasting Jeff Schuster says. “There is little question that a strong level of pent-up demand exists, but economic and financial uncertainty is keeping it from being released.”
For the year, Power expects a total of 10.2 million retail vehicle sales, and 12.6 million units including fleet sales.
Which brands posted increases on the month, and which have more warning signs to read as economic recovery fails to gain steam? The results by automaker, with some still to come:
General Motors: GM (NYSE: GM) posted August sales of 218,479 vehicles, for an 18-percent boost. Chevrolet’s winners included the Cruze and Equinox, while GMC’s Terrain was up 88 percent. Buick had its 23rd consecutive sales increase, year over year, and the Regal posted sales double those of last August.
Ford: Ford (NYSE: F) sales of 175,220 were an increase of 11 percent over August 2010. Ford-brand sales rose 16 percent, while Lincoln pulled out of last month’s swoon for a 25-percent increase. The Explorer continued its sales rehabilitation, with numbers up 300 percent from August 2010.
Chrysler: Chrysler sales of 130,119 units translated into a 31-percent increase over last year. Jeep sales were up 58 percent; Fiat had its best sales month yet. Big movers included the Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee, and the Dodge Durango.
Toyota / Lexus: Toyota sales fell 16.1 percent, on total volume of 129,483 vehicles. The Toyota division was down 16.9 percent, while Lexus sales dropped 10.6 percent.
Honda / Acura: Honda says its August 2011 sales results still were affected by the March earthquake in Japan. The company sold 73,267 Honda-brand cars, off 21.2 percent from a year ago, and Acura’s sales of 9,054 units were a drop of 24.5 percent. Total sales of 82,321 vehicles represented a decrease of 27.2 percent.
Nissan / Infiniti: Nissan said its August 2011 sales totaled 91,541 units, for a 19.2-percent increase. Infiniti’s numbers actually were down 4.3 percent, but Nissan-branded cars sold 22.4 percent better than in August 2010. The Leaf electric car topped 1,362 sales, and the Rogue had its best month ever, while the mid-size Altima lineup saw sales rise almost 25 percent over a year ago.
Hyundai: Hyundai CEO John Krafcik says, via Twitter: “August sales? Up 9% over last year to 58,505.”
Kia: Kia had its best August ever, with total sales of 41,188 vehicles, for a 26.9-percent increase.
Volkswagen: VW continued its sales streak with a 10.4-percent climb; it’s up almost 21 percent on the year. Jetta sales rose 55.5 percent, while the Touareg climbed 140 percent. Diesels continue to account for about a quarter of all Volkswagen sales in the U.S.
BMW / MINI: BMW says combined sales of BMW and MINI vehicles in August fell a slight 0.2 percent to 23,924 units. Sales of BMW-brand vehicles were up 6.5 percent to 20,815 units; MINI was down 29.7 percent to 3,109 units. For the year, the combined business is up 14.6 percent.
With the numbers rolling in from major automakers today, it’s difficult to not see progress in August 2011’s car sales figures versus those posted in July–but still, the overall trend is slow, slow, slow.
According to market analysts at J.D. Power, the seasonally adjusted seling rate (SAAR) for August 2011 totaled 9.9 million retail units, a slight improvement over figures for July, but well off the 11-million-unit rate seen in February.
When fleet sales are factored in, the 12.1-million-unit SAAR actually fell a fraction of a percent versus July.
Economic frustration continues to keep car shoppers away from dealerships, Power’s director of global forecasting Jeff Schuster says. “There is little question that a strong level of pent-up demand exists, but economic and financial uncertainty is keeping it from being released.”
For the year, Power expects a total of 10.2 million retail vehicle sales, and 12.6 million units including fleet sales.
Which brands posted increases on the month, and which have more warning signs to read as economic recovery fails to gain steam? The results by automaker, with some still to come:
General Motors: GM (NYSE: GM) posted August sales of 218,479 vehicles, for an 18-percent boost. Chevrolet’s winners included the Cruze and Equinox, while GMC’s Terrain was up 88 percent. Buick had its 23rd consecutive sales increase, year over year, and the Regal posted sales double those of last August.
Ford: Ford (NYSE: F) sales of 175,220 were an increase of 11 percent over August 2010. Ford-brand sales rose 16 percent, while Lincoln pulled out of last month’s swoon for a 25-percent increase. The Explorer continued its sales rehabilitation, with numbers up 300 percent from August 2010.
Chrysler: Chrysler sales of 130,119 units translated into a 31-percent increase over last year. Jeep sales were up 58 percent; Fiat had its best sales month yet. Big movers included the Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee, and the Dodge Durango.
Toyota / Lexus: Toyota sales fell 16.1 percent, on total volume of 129,483 vehicles. The Toyota division was down 16.9 percent, while Lexus sales dropped 10.6 percent.
Honda / Acura: Honda says its August 2011 sales results still were affected by the March earthquake in Japan. The company sold 73,267 Honda-brand cars, off 21.2 percent from a year ago, and Acura’s sales of 9,054 units were a drop of 24.5 percent. Total sales of 82,321 vehicles represented a decrease of 27.2 percent.
Nissan / Infiniti: Nissan said its August 2011 sales totaled 91,541 units, for a 19.2-percent increase. Infiniti’s numbers actually were down 4.3 percent, but Nissan-branded cars sold 22.4 percent better than in August 2010. The Leaf electric car topped 1,362 sales, and the Rogue had its best month ever, while the mid-size Altima lineup saw sales rise almost 25 percent over a year ago.
Hyundai: Hyundai CEO John Krafcik says, via Twitter: “August sales? Up 9% over last year to 58,505.”
Kia: Kia had its best August ever, with total sales of 41,188 vehicles, for a 26.9-percent increase.
Volkswagen: VW continued its sales streak with a 10.4-percent climb; it’s up almost 21 percent on the year. Jetta sales rose 55.5 percent, while the Touareg climbed 140 percent. Diesels continue to account for about a quarter of all Volkswagen sales in the U.S.
BMW / MINI: BMW says combined sales of BMW and MINI vehicles in August fell a slight 0.2 percent to 23,924 units. Sales of BMW-brand vehicles were up 6.5 percent to 20,815 units; MINI was down 29.7 percent to 3,109 units. For the year, the combined business is up 14.6 percent.
With the numbers rolling in from major automakers today, it’s difficult to not see progress in August 2011’s car sales figures versus those posted in July–but still, the overall trend is slow, slow, slow.
According to market analysts at J.D. Power, the seasonally adjusted seling rate (SAAR) for August 2011 totaled 9.9 million retail units, a slight improvement over figures for July, but well off the 11-million-unit rate seen in February.
When fleet sales are factored in, the 12.1-million-unit SAAR actually fell a fraction of a percent versus July.
Economic frustration continues to keep car shoppers away from dealerships, Power’s director of global forecasting Jeff Schuster says. “There is little question that a strong level of pent-up demand exists, but economic and financial uncertainty is keeping it from being released.”
For the year, Power expects a total of 10.2 million retail vehicle sales, and 12.6 million units including fleet sales.
Which brands posted increases on the month, and which have more warning signs to read as economic recovery fails to gain steam? The results by automaker, with some still to come:
General Motors: GM (NYSE: GM) posted August sales of 218,479 vehicles, for an 18-percent boost. Chevrolet’s winners included the Cruze and Equinox, while GMC’s Terrain was up 88 percent. Buick had its 23rd consecutive sales increase, year over year, and the Regal posted sales double those of last August.
Ford: Ford (NYSE: F) sales of 175,220 were an increase of 11 percent over August 2010. Ford-brand sales rose 16 percent, while Lincoln pulled out of last month’s swoon for a 25-percent increase. The Explorer continued its sales rehabilitation, with numbers up 300 percent from August 2010.
Chrysler: Chrysler sales of 130,119 units translated into a 31-percent increase over last year. Jeep sales were up 58 percent; Fiat had its best sales month yet. Big movers included the Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee, and the Dodge Durango.
Toyota / Lexus: Toyota sales fell 16.1 percent, on total volume of 129,483 vehicles. The Toyota division was down 16.9 percent, while Lexus sales dropped 10.6 percent.
Honda / Acura: Honda says its August 2011 sales results still were affected by the March earthquake in Japan. The company sold 73,267 Honda-brand cars, off 21.2 percent from a year ago, and Acura’s sales of 9,054 units were a drop of 24.5 percent. Total sales of 82,321 vehicles represented a decrease of 27.2 percent.
Nissan / Infiniti: Nissan said its August 2011 sales totaled 91,541 units, for a 19.2-percent increase. Infiniti’s numbers actually were down 4.3 percent, but Nissan-branded cars sold 22.4 percent better than in August 2010. The Leaf electric car topped 1,362 sales, and the Rogue had its best month ever, while the mid-size Altima lineup saw sales rise almost 25 percent over a year ago.
Hyundai: Hyundai CEO John Krafcik says, via Twitter: “August sales? Up 9% over last year to 58,505.”
Kia: Kia had its best August ever, with total sales of 41,188 vehicles, for a 26.9-percent increase.
Volkswagen: VW continued its sales streak with a 10.4-percent climb; it’s up almost 21 percent on the year. Jetta sales rose 55.5 percent, while the Touareg climbed 140 percent. Diesels continue to account for about a quarter of all Volkswagen sales in the U.S.
BMW / MINI: BMW says combined sales of BMW and MINI vehicles in August fell a slight 0.2 percent to 23,924 units. Sales of BMW-brand vehicles were up 6.5 percent to 20,815 units; MINI was down 29.7 percent to 3,109 units. For the year, the combined business is up 14.6 percent.
What is it
An electric car based on the i10 city car, which is enjoying booming sales under the scrappage scheme.
Hyundai i10 Electric
Hyundai says electric cars are crucial if it is to meet its target of bringing down the average CO2 emissions of its range to 95g/km by 2020, but it plans a low-key start with the battery-powered i10.
Limited production of the car will begin late next year, with vehicles going on trial with Korean government departments and domestic fleets.
Hyundai i10 Electric
However, UK importers have expressed interest in conducting tests with the car. ‘We would be very interested in taking it,’ said a Hyundai UK spokesman.
The British importer believes the plug-in i10 could do particularly well in London, where Mayor Boris Johnson wants to create the electric-car capital of the world.
Hyundai says it is unlikely that the car will have any significant presence in Europe until 2012 at the earliest.
‘The problem is that there would be a very high cost for the batteries alone – perhaps €10,000 (£8000),’ says Hans-Ulrich Goebel, Hyundai’s European product planning manager.
‘It is likely to be some time before we could expect to see acceptance of such a cost by private customers, but there is potentially a big market for electric small vans.’
Allan Rushforth, vice-president of Hyundai Europe, added: ‘The threshold of what is acceptable varies from country to country and is dependent on what incentives governments are prepared to offer motorists to take up such systems, but ultimately, the customer will have to pay.’
Hyundai i10 Electric
Performance and range
The electric i10 is driven by a 49-kilowatt (65bhp) electric motor powered by a 16 kw/hr lithium ion polymer battery.
Hyundai claims a range of 100 miles on a full charge and a top speed of 80mph.
Recharging takes five hours using a standard domestic socket, but the batteries can be restored to 85% of capacity in 15 minutes through an industrial (420V) power point.
The Hyundai i-mode is an all-new eco-friendly six-passenger family crossover concept featuring the all-new Theta Turbo GDI (gasoline direct injection) 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbo engine. Producing 286 h.p., the i-mode still achieves an estimated EPA combined fuel economy of 30 mpg. The i-mode combines visionary styling with future technologies and advanced eco-dynamics such as six-seater monocab design, unique swivel seat concept, and futuristic communications featuring wireless network and webcams.
The bodywork of the “i-mode†features a new polyurethane-based topcoat. A special feature of this coating is its self-healing capability, as the warmth of the sun causes small scratches to “melt away†and disappear. As a result, the paintwork stays looking like new for longer. With its high polymer and low organic solvent content, the coating also boasts an environmentally friendly formulation.
