ABG: 2013 Hyundai i30 plug-in hybrid to undercut price of Toyota Prius Plug-in

Nice Hiundai PR - who knows how much we will pay for Prius PHV in 2013?

 

Well it's £31k in the UK now, so two more years of financial turmoil should make it £45k?

Thank God we're not in the Euro though!

 

I duno . . . . after watching Honda make all the Insight claims (year after after year, prior to production of their Gen II) that they're "taking aim" at the Prius . . . . you kinda have to wonder.

But heck . . . . may the best car win.

 

Hyundai and Kia have proved to be able to churn out a large number of compelling cars with tons of goodies (tech and other options). All of these cars seem to come in on time and at prices that are more than competitive. I know that they still do have a bit of a quality stink to them, but the warranty that they provide more than makes up for it - think of it this way - if they built anything other than pretty good cars the warranty claims would bankrupt them.

So on that front I think that they will wind up with a pretty good product.

One of the big downsides of Hyundai and Kia though is that many of their cars have great EPA #'s but return far less in actual driving. It would not surprise me if this were the same with this car.

 

Is this the blue will transformed into an i30? That would be disappointing. Maybe they are working on 2 plug ins

Hyundai Blue-Will Concept - Auto Shows - Car and Driver

The blue will was supposed to have a 134hp motor, 20-40 mile range, and a 1.6L direct injection engine. I would expect a prius fighter to keep the engine but not have the low weight or range.

 

Apparently it's the same as a Hyundai Elentra Touring

So along the lines of a Toyota Matrix, Nissan Versa, Ford Focus Hatchback

 

The title of this thread comes as no surprise to me. It's not difficult to undercut the price of the Prius PHV. Even Lexus can do that.

 

The i30 and Elantra are two different compact Hyundais. In the US the i30 wagon is called an Elantra. The Elantra and i30 are Corolla/Civic class cars.

The Accent is one of their subcompacts, the i20 that we don't see in the US is their other subcompact that is comparable to an Accent.

 

This is the previous version of the i30
Elantra Touring: More Fun & Room than Toyota Matrix/Mazda 3 Hatchback | Hyundai
It has the same wheel base as the prius, but it is slightly larger. It looks like it is more comparable to a prius v.

I suspect they will do some major aerodynamic modifications to this car to make it a phev. The sonata after modification came in with a cd of .25, the same as a prius. The blue will had a 1.6L engine, if they are still building that it should improve fuel economy, but they may stick with the 2.0 L and a smaller motor and battery pack than the blue will prototype. If this is the car, then it should come in heavier than the prius phv, but I'm sure hyundai can undercut it in price.

 

Toyota already undercuts the Prius with the Auris. The Auris is in the same segment as i30 (C-segment), so it makes sense to undercut the price of a larger D-segment car. "Look at us. We can undercut the prices of a larger car with our smaller car...". Up next: The Hyundai i10 costs less than a Prius too!

 

That may be your bias speaking. They've apparently stepped up their game tremendously:

What can Hyundai do silently and inexpensively that Volkswagen and BMW can't?

 

when it comes to regular cars, they are doing well.. Problem with i30 for instance, in Europe, is that it is going to be a lot more expensive then previous i30. Their new i40 as priced as Avensis. There is no cost advantage left in Europe anymore. So here at least, they are selling these new Hyundais to completely new audience, as old i30 buyers bought them because they were dirt cheap. And now they have to get VW buyers.


but when it comes to hybrid, Sonata Hybrid is terrible failure... car has had many recalls already and it is not fixed yet. And thats after half a year on market. Not to mention it is getting lesser mpg in real life than other hybrids, which is another cause of complaint.

Buying plugin hybrid from them would be insanity right now.

 

Actually, the Hyundai i30 is in many ways related to the Elantra--they're both built off the same platform.

Indeed, the new Elantra Touring wagon--probably to be unveiled either at the Chicago or New York Auto Shows in 2012--may end up looking more like the new European-market i30 than many think here. And that model may be the model that gets the PHEV drivetrain, in my humble opinion!

 

In the US, the i30 IS the Elantra. Same car, just different name.

Anyway, it is a compact, so no valid comparison with the Prius here.

 

No it wouldn't. Assist hybrid doesn't work for plug-in so it wouldn't use their "clutched-IMA" system, it'd use a power split, which we know works very effectively. Expect more power-split hybrids since the key patents are running out.

 

I always say, trust but verify. They may undercut the price but, Toyota is way ahead in proven reliability, customer base and customer satisfaction. No wonder they have to undercut the Pip

 

it is full hybrid... had another two TSB's this month for Hybrid alone .

I dont see why would you trust Hyundai with hybrid no matter what the tech. The amount of recalls that Hyundai Sonata Hybrid had is astonishing.

And besides, some bot answered in this thread, didnt hear anynthing about i30 plugin for a long time now... i30 is car sized similar to Golf or Focus hatchback, not Prius anyway.