Hyundai i10 revealed

By Ben Pulman

Motor Shows

05 December 2007 09:30

Didn’t we see this last month?

Two months ago actually, but the new Hyundai i10 city car makes its official show debut at Bologna, and CAR was given access to the car the night before the show so we could have a proper poke round it.

Hyundai officials also let slip that the Genesis saloon will be shown at the start of 2008 in Detroit, while the production Coupe will be previewed at the New York Motor Show in March 2008.

Initial impressions of the i10 are mixed; a 10mm stretch over its sister car the Kia Picanto mean the i10’s wheelbase is 40mm longer than the Toyota/PSA trios. There’s space for my two metre frame to sit behind myself, and plenty of headroom, too.

The interior does feel low rent, with dark, hard, scratchy plastics and no cloth trim on the doors. So while the Aygo/107/C1 offer something a little more funky, the i10 comes with a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty, and lots of kit for under £6500.

All cars come with air-con, four airbags, power steering, a six-speaker CD/radio with aux input, and front electric windows.

Hyundai says it can provide items like air-con as standard fit thanks to economies of scale. The i10 is built in India where air-con is a must - and the domestic market will probably take as many a month as the UK will get in a year. Hence air-con is economically viable.

The launch engine is a 1.1-litre with 66bhp, 119g/km, and about 60mpg. A larger 1.2-litre will follow in September 2008, which will bump the CO2 rating up to 120g/km, but still allow the i10 to be exempt from the future Congestion Charge changes. The i10 goes on sale in the UK at the start of March 2008.

A diesel will be sold in other markets but as it only rates at 114g/km CO2, the £1000 premium it would likely command can’t justify Hyundai UK to bring it here. Hyundai reckons i10 diesel sales worldwide will only make up two to three percent of the total.

By Ben Pulman