Michael McAleer reports on Hyundai's new challenger in the supermini sector
Korea's car manufacturers seem to have set their eyes on the supermini category. Two weeks ago we witnessed the launch of the Daweoo Kalos. This week it's the turn of another Korean to present us with a small town car.
The Hyundai Getz, the company's first entry into the supermini sector, goes on sale here from tomorrow and is designed firmly with the European market in mind.
The Getz is powered by Hyundai's new 1.1-litre SOHC engine unit, which was derived from the firm's existing 1.0 engine. It develops 62.2bhp with a top speed of 150 km/per hour and does the 0-60 mph in 16.1 seconds.
Hyunda Ireland expects to sell 2,000 Getz cars next year. In keeping with the firm's reputation for competing on value for money and including a high level of features as standard, the standard equipment list of the Getz includes anti-lock brakes (ABS), driver and passenger airbags, power steering, electric front and rear windows, central locking, and a remote boot /rear door release. Many of these are rarely seen as standard in cars in this category.
Prices for the Getz start at €12,995 for the .1 three door, with the five door retailing at €13,500. The CDX three door version starts at €13,750, with the five door CDX version retailing at €14,250.
It will come with three years' unlimited mileage warranty and three years' AA membership. The Getz is the result of over three years of development at Hyundai's Ulsan plant in Korea with Europe firmly in mind - around 80 per cent of production is expected to be sold in Europe. Hyundai's development engineers have been busy of late, with the introduction of the Trajet, SantaFe, Matrix, Terracan and a recent makeover of the Coupe.
While the Getz is shorter than many of its competitors it's surprisingly roomy inside and storage space is adequate for a car in its category.