Hyundai Australia has announced that it will need to put a pause on orders for some variants of its popular i30 hatchback as production shifts from South Korea to the Czech Republic.
The South Korean company’s local chief operating officer John Kett told local media last week that the car manufacturer will have to cover roughly 1200+ orders per month with other products in the lineup while the PD (Korean-built) i30 is off sale.
This essentially means that the current non-N performance i30 hatches, including the Active, Elite and N-Line variants, will be affected. The current i30 N hatch is already built in the Czech Republic.
Production is going from South Korea to Europe for the i30 hatch
“We can’t take an order on a PDE (Europe) Hyundai i30 until probably July next year (2024).
“We’re going to be in the dark in terms of selling i30 for the next three to four months … it’s going to be an incredible challenge for us”.
However, the i30 Sedan (known as the Elantra in the US) will still be available until the facelift arrives in 2024. Supply is positive for the i30 Sedan according to the brand.
The Hyundai i30 N hatch is already built in the Czech Republic
But it’s not all bad news, with the Tucson taking up the spot left by the PD i30 in the South Korean production line, meaning that there will be good supply of Tucson midsize SUV, as well as Kona and Venue small SUVs while the i30 is off sale.
Hyundai says that local pricing is still undecided, however Chasing Cars understands that the PDE i30 built in the Czech Republic will very likely be more expensive.
Without being able to supply its popular small car for some time, Hyundai could be left a little vulnerable when other new Chinese competitors are coming into the Australian market with a low cost of entry, such as the new MG5.
Hyundai will need to watch out for cheaper entry level cars from China
The i30 set to gain facelift from Europe in 2024
Hyundai Australia has confirmed that with the shift to Europe production only for the i30 hatch, there will be a facelift for this vehicle.
Expect a slightly different front end design, new technologies and the high likelihood of a powertrain change.
More news on this is likely to come within the next couple of months.
A facelift is coming for the i30 hatch in 2024
Hyundai not looking to discontinue i30 hatch
As many small cars are now facing the chopping blocks, Hyundai Australia does not see it that way, and will continue to sell the Hyundai i30 into the future.
Hyundai Australia’s John Kett told local media that “we still think it can play a strong role for us (the i30).
Hyundai knows how important the i30 is for the brand
“It’s so powerful, isn’t it? It’s pretty much the first instinctive nameplate you think about when you think about Hyundai,” Kett said.
“We’ve just opened up orders on i20 N and i30 N, so the upside for that is that it’s unlimited for them (customers) and they’ll be super excited”.
As of August 2023, Hyundai has sold 14,844 i30s to Australian customers so far this year, making it the most popular small car locally ahead of the Toyota Corolla.