Hyundai's Veloster: Pick of the bunch

Hyundai's Veloster is not a typical sports car, but could have a big impact on the compact market. Photo / Supplied

A visit to Hyundai's NamYang research and development centre underscored how many new models are coming on stream.

About 6500 cars are tested here, and our sightings included a very handsome Grandeur, the ix20 hatch, thinly disguised next-generation i30, Accent sedan, i40 sedan and the striking Veloster hatch.

But Hyundai NZ chief executive Tom Ruddenklau can't access every model the brand produces, so how does he decide what we'll buy?

"We look at what's available. If it looks promising we check it is built in right-hand drive, in the right specification. Our bottom line is five-star crash test rating for passenger vehicles. It must have stability control - we don't take the petrol van as you can't get ESP."

Hyundai then supplies glossy product information "and we see if we can sell it. Take Veloster, we're going to cause some great disruption with that car because it's not a typical sports car, it's another player into that compact segment.

"We look at the segment analysis for little sports cars. Tiburon, we sold 30 a year. It's replacement Tiburon so we might sell 35 a year. We'll go no, what do we have to do to sell 200 of them. How are we going to position it, market it, and make it work. It's the difference in philosophy of seeing what you can sell as opposed to selling what you can see. If that equation doesn't work, we wouldn't bring it in."

Once committed to a model, price becomes a factor. "They sell us on the vehicle first, before they'll discuss pricing. By then we're pretty committed unless there's a major issue on price."

Ruddenklau has worked on Veloster for 18 months. "We'll get a naturally aspirated 1.6, a 1.6 turbo next year with two transmissions - a six speed manual, and a DSG-style gearbox arriving November."

Veloster looks like a winner, so does i40 wagon and Accent, but what about the cars we won't see? The high-riding ix20 hatch seems made for New Zealand.

"That's a raw price scenario. To ship it in from Europe makes it unviable." The handsome Grandeur, a large sedan now boasting strongly Euro looks is available in left-hand drive only, as are the Equus, plus the Genesis coupe and sedan.

"It's frustrating being there and seeing cars we can't get but you can't give up the fight, we have to negotiate any which way we can."

So he's talking to the Britain, South African and Australia - if enough right-drive markets want Genesis it could still come. "But you have to be careful not to make the model range too complex." As for the ute Hyundai needs if it's to take on Toyota, he speculates it's three years away.

If Ruddenklau has his way, that's as good as a promise. "If there's something we believe in we'll fight like hell for it."