"IMMITATION, the Sincerest form of FLATTERY"

[longo]

The little 5' doors are flying off the lots, sales figures are putting the Hatches at the top of the heap. CDN Nissan just announced an amazing 36% increase in sales.

Car companies are quick to jump on any trend out there to move the 'product', so I'm sure fast sales on cute little Hatches are the HOt topic in the Car Company planning meetings these days.

This news about the Koreans now getting their Ducks in a 'Hatch', is interesting reading for those of us who just bought into this market segment.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/hyundai-i30.html

The similartities to the Versa are so obvious, its Nissan who they will be gunning for if the i30 ever hits the North American market!
Modified by longo at 10:55 AM 3/10/2007

[Ever Victorious]

Well, certainly the look of the whole industry has a certain commonality... things are once again becoming more angular than they were in the late 90's and early '00's.

This isn't ENTIRELY something new for Hyundai/Kia, though. Just another new body to throw on an existing platform.

The i30 is a C-segment, so this is likely the redesign of the existing Spectra5... which will be on its 4th year this year, so a redesign was due. And the fact that it bears a Hyundai badge means there will just be an extra nameplate.

Opel will be sending the 5-door, C-segment Astra to the US and calling it a Saturn, starting the end of this year.

Oddly, Ford is deleting their Focus hatchback this year.

I have to agree with some industry "experts" for once... the hatchback is finally making waves in the US.

[Jemdawg]

Not bad for a Hyundai, I really like the interior too.

I believe Ford will release the Focus as a four door and a coupe in 2008, this would explain the absence of the hatchback.

[Ever Victorious]

Not bad for a Hyundai, I really like the interior too.

I believe Ford will release the Focus as a four door and a coupe in 2008, this would explain the absence of the hatchback.

It just shows Big 3 mentality to cut a hatchback out just as the hatchback market is starting to blow up.

Hyundai is working at increasing their fit and finish dramatically, since Hyundai is positioning to be the "luxury" brand of the two. My wife's '05 Tucson is a DAMN nice... I would never use "for a Hyundai" after we got that thing. Its interior quality and finish is as good as or better than the Forester we considered getting instead.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I find the name of the little Hyundai particularly interesting.I wonder how Nissan will react to the use of their name...The I30 ceased to be in 2002, but the last I35 rolled off a lot some time in 2005. Does nissan still hold trademark for the name? If they do, was it for "I" or "I30" (or both)?

It would be like Suzuki stealing the Supra name...sure it's dead...but is the name up for grabs?

The C-pillar reminds me of the Roque. The irony there is that the Roque is being accused of looking like a Hyundai by various members of the press.

[longo]

From what I see of the Versa-look-a-like, Hyundai i30, the name appears to be more a catchy/trendy spin off of i-tunes...i-pod etc.

The I30 (capital I) does come to mind tho, and it must bug the H' out of NIssan to know the name is so close to one of their great old Infinity models, and looks so much like the new Versa,..... only with many more features..fully independent suspension, heated leather seats, 2 liter engine, sporty rims, automatic climate control, fold flat reat cargo area, with a killer radio/CD/Navi/outside temp/ usb port options, etc etc....you get the idea...

Perhaps by the time the upstart, i30 hits the North American market, the Versa will be better prepared for a feature to feature fight with the new Hyundai Hatch in the ring.

Who knows who will win the battle for your buying dollars, but right now, the i30 would win the 'tale of the tape'.


Modified by longo at 9:03 AM 3/9/2007

[Ever Victorious]

Well, that article was also from Europe, where naming conventions are almost always different. Infiniti is about the only marque that still uses a letter and number designator system, where everyone else uses model names. Probably won't be any different when the change actually comes.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Actually, most "top tier" luxury Marques use letters and/or numbers. BMW, Mercedes Benz, Lexus, Infiniti, etc.I wish they WOULD all switch to real names. I'd much rather drive a "Cefiro" than an "I30" any day.

[Jemdawg]

I wonder if Hyundai will showcase this car at the New York Auto Show next month, I'd like to see it up close. Hyundai has come a long way since the late 80's, I'd say mostly due to its latest release of the Sonata. It was the first new car from the new generation of Hyundais; after that, they revamped every other car. Oh, and let's not forget that Hyundai's Accent hatchback resembles the style of hatchbacks that everyone is going for right now, so the I30 is really nothing new.

[motoguy128]

Kia, also has the Rondo, which is like a small minivan. It reminds me of the Versa but sits a little higher with a really big hatch area. That might be our next car to replace our Altima with something bigger.... but not too big and not a gas guzzling land yacht SUV,

[BBISHOPPCM]

I would never drive anything called a "Rondo," it sounds like the name of a pornstar. Might as well call it a "LaFonda" or something equally sleazy.

[marleyfan]

Other than being a hatchback I dont see how this thing really looks like the Versa at all. It looks no more like the Versa than it does the Yaris or Fit or any other hatch.

Actually after taking another look I'd say it looks more like the Ford Focus.
Modified by marleyfan at 7:47 PM 3/9/2007

[motoguy128]

I didn't mean in appearance. I meant in dimensions and function. It's like a larger version of the versa in that it also offers lots of rear seat legroom, but it has almost double the cargo area behind the seats. It's more of a "tall" car like the Versa, than jsut a wagon version of a midsized car like a Volvo V50, or a Subaru Legacy wagon.

I like what these "crossover' vehciles are offering, but some of the better vehicles dimensionally and crap on the inside. The Ford Freestyle is really cheap, and feels big. It's like a plump 1990's Taurus wagon.

[marleyfan]

sorry motoguy, I was referring to the original post about the Hyundai i30.

[brownbrix]

well seeing that were talkin about a hyundai we might as well talk about mazda up and coming mazda 2 which is to be release in europe and maybe in North america.

Car looks alot like a mazda 3 witha yaris backend

interior has the mazda touch looks like a good car but dont forget is a ford

http://paultan.org/archives/20...eview/

and

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/0...azda2/

[MinisterofDOOM]

Hmmm...interesting...

I've always been a big Mazda fan, and I'm especially fond of their current styling trends, but I think that little thing is UGLY. It reminds me of a Peugeot 207.

I'm patiently awaiting the arrival of a Mazda 9.

[TweeKeer]

I would never drive anything called a "Rondo," it sounds like the name of a pornstar. Might as well call it a "LaFonda" or something equally sleazy.

don't buy a car in Europe then, because they have such names as Fiat Panda, Siciento, Renault Megane and so on.

[longo]

Thanks for posting the Great Mazda pics, brownbrix.

I was begining to think this upcoming battle of the entry level Hatches was going to be limited to Huyndai and Nissan, seeing they are very evenly matched for size. Altho the Hyundai i30 body is 2" shorter, the wheelbase is 2" longer than the Versa, the Versa roof is 2" taller, but the i30 is 2" wider, so if you average all that out, niether one has much size advantage over the other.

Now, enter the gorgous little Mazda 2, (wish I could see some more spec's,) but from the mention of the engine sizes, and the "B-Class catagory, the cute little Mazda 2 might be a little, 'engine-challenged' against the i30 and the Versa. "Might be", as lower weight and a sneaky gear box could still make the smaller engine a threat.

The Hyundai will probably be packin' the Elantra 2 liter engine when it shows up here in North America, but, even with the larger engine it is rated at about the same MPG's as the Versa, or better. The curvy little Mazda 2 will probably win the important MPG battle right away due to the smaller engine and more compact size. From it 's 'Fast and Furious' looks, it might also attract the trendy young "Tuner" market with it's swoopy good looks, over the i30 (altho the i30, swoops a little too) or the Versa (no swoopies). The Mazda Brand also has built up some very strong emotional ties from loyal owners who race and rally their cars. Catagories where the Hyundai i30 and the Versa have no long history.

In any case, the way I see all this is, without the demand for more standard features and better content as a result of increased competition, we would still be driving Model T's

I wonder what other new Hatch is coming to the party.
Modified by longo at 12:57 PM 3/10/2007

[Ever Victorious]

If you include the B-segment Mazda2 in the party, then you have a whole different game.

Mazda will have 2, Hyundai/Kia will have 2, Nissan will have 1, Chevy will have 1, Saturn will have 1, Honda will have 1, Toyota will have 1... Volvo is supposedly entering one into the arena also, though it will be the most expensive of the "competitors".

For that matter, Fiat is planning to come back to the US, no doubt they will bring one with them.

[longo]

Wow, that's a long list!

I doubt if they will all be real contenders in this new Hatch market tho, Nissan has set the 'content' bar pretty high with the Versa. Now Hyundai has come along and moved 'standard features, and options' even higher with fully independent suspension, heated leather seats and a long list of other items that the competition had better have on board or don't bother showing up.

As an ordinary car buyer, I think this is long overdue, finally, some serious design changes and the addition of items that have been there for over 20 years. (I had lighted steering wheel controls for the radio, and heater, on my old Pontiac Bonniville 16 years ago)

I say, the more the merrier!

But.......FIAT is coming back to this market?!! Fix-It-Again-Tony?
Modified by longo at 4:18 PM 3/10/2007