Hyundai's 10 years in Ireland is marked with the arrival of Tucson, seen as a new entry level model to the company's SUV range. Andrew Hamilton reports.
It will compete against vehicles such as the Toyota RAV4, the Honda HR-V, the Suzuki Grand Vitara, the Land Rover three-door Freelander, the Subaru Forester and the Mitsubishi Outlander.
The three model line-up includes two 2.0 litre petrol and diesel versions with two-wheel-drive at €27,750 and €30,250 and a 2.0 litre four-wheel-drive diesel at €32,250.
Hyundai already markets the Santa Fe SUV, due for replacement in 2006. Sam Synott, managing director of Hyundai Cars Ireland, expects that customers for the Tucson will be younger and that there will be a higher proportion of female buyers. "We think also we will do well as no other company offers two-wheel-drive options in both petrol and diesel. Next year we see our SUV sales up by 40 per cent, simply through the virtue of the extra choice with the Tucson."
Before 1994, Hyundai in Ireland was marketed alongside Subaru cars in an operation controlled by International Motors in Britain. Eugene O'Reilly, chairman of Hyundai Cars Ireland, says the signing for the distribution of the marque here, came in a year when just 50 Hyundai were registered and the new car market was 80,402.
"Now we're looking at 6,500 vehicles or just under 4 per cent of total new car sales."