Grand Avega Bows as Hyundai Bolsters Lineup in Indonesia

JAKARTA – Hyundai rolls out its new Grand Avega at the 19th Indonesian International Motor Show here.

A 5-door subcompact hatchback version of the Accent sedan, it will slot in as a lower-end model in the auto maker’s lineup. Previously, this car featured Chinese-market specific styling, but it now gets the brand’s family-design treatment to give it wider appeal as it is launched in more markets.

The 5-door hatchback will slot at the lower-end of Hyundai’s Indonesian lineup.

The styling language takes its cues from the Sonata, including the trademark side creases and front face. The rear treatment is neatly executed with a more integrated look. Inside the cabin is simple, with lots of hard plastics but a harmonious appearance.

There is a decent level of content, with steering wheel audio controls and USB ports.

For the Indonesian market, the Grand Avega is powered by a 1.4L twin-cam 4-cyl., rated at 108 hp and 100 lb.-ft. (136 Nm) torque and mated to either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed Shiftronic automatic transmission.

Underneath it has the usual Accent architecture, including MacPherson struts with anti-roll bar at the front and torsion beam at the rear. Brakes are ventilated discs up front and drums at the rear.

The car measures 162.0 ins. (411.5 cm) long, 66.9 ins. (170 cm) wide and 57.4 ins. (145.7 cm) high and comes in six colors.

For this market, the Grand Avega will slot just above the Avega as a second entry-level offering in an 8-model lineup, with pricing kicking off at 159 million rupiah ($18,705) for the manual. The auto option adds IDR10 million ($1,000) to the price.

The latest Sonata also makes its Indonesian debut this week, priced at IDR449.5 million ($53,000).

Hyundai is pitching its product line-up aggressively, as part of its effort to double its Indonesian sales for 2011 to 8,000 units.

The Grand Avega, clearly one of the draws of the show, already is receiving a lot of attention from customers here, as is the Korean brand’s entire range.

Hyundai booked 141 orders during the opening three days of the show

“Hyundai Indonesia’s strategy is (to) follow Hyundai Motor Co.’s global strategy to launch new product, and create some variant products for the current one,” spokeswoman Febri Astuty, tells Ward’s.

“We are very happy so far to see the response since day one of (the auto show), especially for (the) Hyundai Grand Avega.”