November 28, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor said on March 17 that it has shipped its first batch of the new i30 hatchback to Australia.

Hyundai said it shipped 300 of its i30s to Australia last week. A total of 37,772 i30 hatchbacks were sold there last year, becoming the third biggest-selling car in the country, a company spokesman said.

The latest version of the i30 ranked first in the mid-size hatchbag category in the German automotive magazine Auto Bild’s Quality Report released in February. It was also given the International Forum Design Award in product design for automobiles and vehicles last month.

Hyundai also plans to roll out the new i30 wagon or estate car, derived from the hatchback, in Europe in the latter half of the year. An i30 wagon was introduced at the Geneva International Motor Show last week

“We plan to sell over 170,000 i30 cars across the globe this year. The sale of i30s will accelerate once shipments begin in earnest,” said a Hyundai official.

By Alex Lee and newswires (alexlee@heraldcorp.com)