Hyundai i45 set for chassis tweaks?

Hyundai Australia CEO Edward Lee has stated that the company is considering chassis tweaks for its new medium car entrant, the i45. Speaking at this week's launch of the i20 light car in Sydney, Lee told the Carsales Network the company was happy with the initial response to the i45 but stated that Hyundai may implement chassis tweaks to address criticism of the car's steering and ride/handling balance.

Lee stressed that the i45 had received strongly positive reviews from customers, but conceded that both journalists and Hyundai Australia's own engineering consultants had commented on the car's less than class leading dynamics.

According to Hyundai marketing chief, Oliver Mann, Hyundai Australia was limited in the changes it could make to the car compared to its international specification ahead of its Australian launch. The local operation specified a "stiffer" steering rack but was unable to make changes to the power steering assistance ratios, for instance.

Lee confirmed that Hyundai Australia had since made recommendations to Head Office about potential changes.

"We have test driven [the i45] against its competitors and normal people have a very different reaction to engineers and journalists. [But] Our engineers agreed with the journalists. Maybe in three months or so there will be something different," Lee told the Carsales Network.

In discussing the i45 tweaks, Lee revealed Hyundai Australia had been instrumental in establishing a right-hand-drive working group within Hyundai's product planning infrastructure.

"Australia will play a larger part [in R&D]. R&D and HMC [Hyundai Motor Company] supports Australia very strongly – very much more than in the past. They cannot support [the wishes] of all countries, but recently support, as much as possible, has been directed [towards us]."

Lee says Australia should and will lead development for Hyundai's right-hand drive markets.

"We have established a working group and [the RHD markets] regularly meet and make recommendations to HMC."

In a wide ranging discussion Lee professed a desire to see Hyundai have a stronger involvement in motorsport internationally, but stated that any such moves would be by administered by head office. He also stated the company was "too busy" to market every new product available to them and so would concentrate on bedding in the core models it already has in its near-term model range.

He watered down talk of any hot hatch version of the i30 but stopped short of ruling it out.

"With i30 we try to challenge many things. We want to be a leader in technology… At the moment it is not easy to define the situation. [But] Once we do, we have definitely to consider that one."

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