U.S. Market Very Unlikely to See Hyundai i10

A Senior Hyundai Motor America official says that contrary to published reports, the U.S. sales arm probably will not bring the i10 minicar here.

“It's very unlikely we'll bring the i10 to the U.S.,” John Krafcik, vice president-product development and strategic planning for HMA, tells media at a recent event for the Genesis sedan.

Hyundai already sells the fuel-sipping A-car in South Korea and Europe.

For U.S. buyers looking for more fuel-efficient Hyundai offerings, Krafcik reiterates a plan to bring a hybrid version of the Sonata midsize car to the U.S., likely by 2010. The auto maker will show a rolling chassis of its parallel hybrid technology, featuring lithium-ion batteries, at November's Los Angeles auto show, he says.

Four years into a product-launch strategy that has skewed toward larger vehicles, Krafcik says future Hyundai vehicles in the U.S. will be smaller.

A case in point is a B-segment coupe based on the Veloster concept car shown at the 2007 Seoul motor show.

The Veloster will fit in Hyundai's U.S. lineup below the departing Tiburon coupe, while the upcoming Genesis coupe, which goes into production in December and on sale in first-quarter 2009, will slot above the segment Tiburon occupies.

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