Hyundai to launch 11 new models in 11 months
All-new large SUV, hydrogen SUV, more N models and three mystery cars due here by mid-2021Hyundai Australia has announced it will launch 11 new models locally over the coming 11 months in a product offensive designed to “reset” the brand in Australia.
In a wide-ranging presentation to journalists this week, the Korean car-maker’s Australia boss John Kett said Hyundai will kick off its new product onslaught with the hydrogen-powered Nexo from the third quarter, although it will only be offered solely to fleets initially.
The Hyundai Nexo will be followed in the fourth quarter by the new i30 sedan and Sonata, the all-new Palisade large SUV, and facelifted versions of the Santa Fe and i30 hatchback before year’s end.
Then, in the first half of 2021, Hyundai says it will launch a new Tucson SUV, an updated Kona/Kona electric, plus three other yet-to-be-confirmed models, one of which will be an eco-friendly option rumoured to be a hybrid Tucson.
It’s hoped the influx of new models will help Hyundai navigate its way out of the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which has driven a 34 per cent slump in sales year-to-date for the Korean car-maker, and attract buyers to a more premium model mix.
This week’s announcement represents another step away from Hyundai’s once-ingrained ‘cheap and cheerful’ reputation.
“You need a soft platform to rebound from, and for us it’s really going to be our product,” Kett said.
“The brand is ready for its next shift. The term 2020 reset is probably overused but we’ve talked about cultivating change and a small shift in the business – that was led by the i30 N, the IONIQ and the Kona Electric. This started to change the narrative around the brand.
“It’s about feeling progress and confidence, but not arrogance… We want to attract a new customer to our brand without walking away from our existing customers’ loyalty. That has been a foundation of our business going forward.”
The aforementioned 11 new models in fact extend to 18 when you include Hyundai’s high-performance N and sporty N-Line variants.
On that front, Hyundai will launch the i20 N in Australia, N-Line variants of the new i30 sedan and Sonata, three other new N models (which could be the Kona N, Veloster N and i30 N sedan), plus a facelifted i30 N hot hatch – all due between the fourth quarter of 2020 and the end of 2021.
“We’re about to embark on an unprecedented product launch,” said Kett. “It’s incredibly condensed.
“All these models are new or significantly facelifted. It’s been dubbed 18 in 18, it’s incredibly tough and it’s challenging but I think it recognises the emergence of the evolution of the Hyundai brand in Australia.”
What’s coming from Hyundai?
New models:
Nexo (Q3, 2020)
i30 Sedan (Q4, 2020)
Sonata (Q4, 2020)
Palisade (Q4, 2020)
i30 Sedan N Line (Q4, 2020)
Sonata N Line (Q4, 2020)
Tucson (Q1 or Q2, 2021)
i20 N (2021)
Three other N models (2021)
Three other mystery models (Q1 or Q2 2021)
Facelifted models:
i30 hatch (Q4, 2020)
Santa Fe (Q4, 2020)
i30 N (2021)
Kona/Kona Electric (Q1 or Q2, 2021)
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