Hyundai to launch SR range

Hyundai is planning to launch a range of performance oriented variants Down Under. A local initiative, the vehicles will be marketed under the SR nameplate. The first model, a sports version of the new generation i30, is likely to go on sale in early 2013.

News of the SR rollout emerged at last Friday's 1,000,000th Hyundai celebration. The Korean brand reached the local milestone last Wednesday, July 25. Though officials were tight-lipped, they said a formal announcement about the SR range would be made later in 2012.

SR is the nameplate Hyundai has attached to the soon to be launched turbo version of its Veloster sports coupe. Like the powered-up asymmetric four-door, other SR models will received significant and "meaningful" performance upgrades by way of local suspension and steering tunes, upgraded wheel and tyres and also higher-specification braking packages. The extent of engine upgrades across the range is unclear.

It's understood that the hottest version of the i30 could sport the same 152kW turbo 1.6-litre engine as the Veloster turbo. Hyundai Australia marketing manager Oliver Mann would not confirm the specification of the SR launch model but did state the badge would be reserved for variants with "meaningful performance upgrades".

He suggest more details of the models and intended range would be forthcoming at this October's Australian International Motor Show.

Hyundai has recently bolstered its local engineering resources and now conducts significant chassis and suspension tuning. Though it has sold an SR variant of the i30 in the past, that model was a value-added dress-up model rather than a true performance variant.

It's understood that Hyundai Australia will restrict its SR line-up to hatch and sedan models – no SR versions of SUV models are expected.

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