Paris 2010: Hyundai teams up with Brabus for sportier i20

After a 2008 introduction, the Hyundai i20 is back at the Paris Motor Show but this time it's got a bit of an attitude. Hyundai has teamed up with Brabus to create the i20 Sport Edition. So far the only details released involve the appearance changes. The front skirt and wheel arches take on an angrier appearance while Yokohama rubber gets wrapped around a set of 17-inch Brabus alloy wheels. The black mesh looks good next to the black bezel around the headlights, as well as the added LED daytime running strips.

While the outside sports that subtly-cool hot-hatch look, the inside looks it was "designed" by the Great Pumpkin after a night spent throwing one too many back. Though the orange-black paint scheme is a little much, the sporty Recaro seats, leather-lined surfaces and seven-inch touchscreen are welcome additions.

We're still waiting to hear what is powering the Hyundai i20 Sport Edition, but with Brabus involved we can only hope for the best. The car will enter production during the first half of 2011, and it will be released as a limited-edition model, available in both three and five-door versions

Paris 2010: 2011 Hyundai ix20 is neat, nifty, compact

Hyundai's fluidic design language makes a little car quite handsome, and the ix20 MPV at the Paris Motor Show is the latest to benefit from the rhinoplasty. To our American eyes, it's a tiny piece of kit to be called an MPV, but the market for European B-segment people-carriers is robust.

Aimed at Continental families, the wheels pushed out to the corners provides a pleasantly roomy interior for a car with its dimensions. Four powerplants can be placed under the hood, two gas engines and two oil-burners ranging from 75 to 122 horsepower. Hyundai has also found room for plenty of safety features, with ESP, ABS, and Hill Start Assist making the list of standard kit.

Hyundai is hoping any further worries will be allayed by the five-year, unlimited mile warranty, and wants to sell 55,000 units of the ix20 annually.

Hyundai: Sonata 2.0 Turbo hits 60 in 6.5 seconds, returns 34 mpg highway

According to Hyundai, its new 274-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged engine for the 2011 Sonata sedan is going to be a real gem. To wit, the Korean automaker says the boosted-four will propel its midsize sedan to 60 miles per hour in just 6.5 seconds. That's serious speed for the segment and it means the Sonata will at least have the accelerative chops to stick with the rest of the sport sedan competition.

Of course, these days frugality is just as important as horsepower, and Hyundai assures us that its 2.0T-powered Sonata will be able to return the promised 22 miles per gallon in the city and 34 on the highway – all on regular-grade fuel. For those who like to keep track of such things, Hyundai claims those figures are 16% and 17% better respectively than the outgoing 3.5-liter V6.

Want more? Well, that's all we can share for now... but our initial driving impressions will be on their way just as soon as Hyundai gives the word. Stay tuned.

[Source: Hyundai]

Beijing 2010: 2011 Hyundai Accent debuts as Verna across the Pacific

Hyundai's fluidic sculpture design language has now spread to the smallest vehicle in its lineup, and the new sub-compact slated to take the place of the aging Accent was unwrapped on the floor of the Beijing Motor Show. We've been seeing spy shots of the next generation Accent for some time and it very clearly follows the same design path as its big brother the Sonata.

The little sedan, badged the Verna outside the U.S., has the same rounded coupe-like greenhouse and rising crease up the sides. Inside the Verna/Accent definitely has a more attractive, higher-quality feel than the current model, although calling it up-scale would be slightly disingenuous. We'll have to wait and see what kind materials the North American model gets before making a decision.

Power is slated to come from either a 1.4- or 1.6-liter inline-four, producing 106 horsepower and 120 hp, respectively, with a standard five-speed manual gearbox or four-speed automatic. Expect the U.S. version to come packing the larger four-pot when it goes on sale early next year.