SPY PICS: Six-seat Hyundai crops up in the US

The production version of Hyundai's HED-5 i-Mode concept is expected to make its global debut in the first half of next year. In the meantime, pre-production versions are being caught out in the open by our master spy photographers at Carparazzi. The car pictured here is undergoing engineering evaluation in the warmer climes of the USA.

Carparazzi's staff photographers are certain that this car will look very much like the original concept, which was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show two years ago (see additional pics). They point out that the production car will have a bespoke B pillar -- clearly visible in the their photos -- unlike the concept car. Also, they suggest, the tailgate will be a little more upright than the shallow-raked affair of the concept, but nothing like as steep as the cladding would have you believe.

This new vehicle, codenamed 'SO', will compete directly with Ford's C-Max and the Mazda5 (the Premacy in other markets) when it goes on sale. The spy pics hint at a Genesis-like beltline around the rear doors, with likely 'fluidic sculpture' visual cues from the i45, the i30cw and the ix35.

While it's shaping up as a Europe-only model, there's a remote possibility that Hyundai might bring the car here, as it did in the past with the Elantra LaVita. That seems unlikely to us, since the additional seat is the only real advantage the new car can offer buyers over the i30cw and ix35.

Of more consequence perhaps, the Carparazzi blokes feel that this vehicle might provide the floorpan and mechanicals for a successor to the current Kia Rondo -- and Kia doesn't have an i30cw equivalent in Australia. That could mean diesel power for the Rondo in Australia, at long last. There's one problem though; the Rondo is a seven-seater and everyone seems to think this Hyundai model will only seat six. How will it fare in Australia as a replacement for the Rondo and will six-seat accommodation meet the needs of enough prospective buyers? The Rondo's predecessor, the Kia Carens, was a six-seater...

-- with Carparazzi

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