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Hyundai i10 And i20 Australian Release Delayed By Exchange Rate Issues

HYUNDAI IS KEEN to shake-up the small end of the market with its new i10 and i20 models, but while the galloping Korean brand wants the two cars in its local line-up, exchange rate and shipping issues are keeping the cars at bay for now.
With the i20 to


HYUNDAI IS KEEN to shake-up the small end of the market with its new i10 and i20 models, but while the galloping Korean brand wants the two cars in its local line-up, exchange rate and shipping issues are keeping the cars at bay for now.

With the i20 to take the place of the Getz and the i10 to slot in below, Hyundai’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Kevin McCann, remains hopeful that the dimunitive pair will be available in Australia by year's end.

Engineering and testing evaluations for the two cars have been completed, however the complex business case for the cars is responsible for the holdup. With many of the components sourced from Korea, and final assembly taking place in India, the two cars are at the mercy of two sets of exhange rate fluctuations.

“A lot of the parts are still produced in Korea so we have to contend with an exchange rate difference between India and Korea, and then the final product is coming to Australia so then there is a three-way exchange rate issue,”  Mr. McCann told Fairfax.

“We really do want the cars and we are working very hard to get them here as quick as we can. The end of the year is still our target but it’s becoming less realistic as each day goes by.”

The arrival of the i10 and i20 will mark the start of a slew of new models for Hyundai including a replacement for the Tucson and a new Sonata, both scheduled to appear in 2010.

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