Hyundai Gears for Production of Brazil-Exclusive HB20

Hyundai Brasil unveils its long-awaited Brazil-exclusive HB20 compact hatchback just days before production launches.

The HB20 will be the first model produced at Hyundai’s new plant in Piracicaba. Production starts Sept. 20, with sales beginning in early October.

"For Hyundai, the launch of HB20 means a lot more than simply presenting a new model,” Chang Kyun Han, president of the Korean auto maker’s Brazilian subsidiary, says in a statement. “Unlike our other models currently offered in Brazil, (the) HB20 is the first model strategically developed and produced exclusively for the Brazilian market.

“This new car is optimized to the taste of Brazilian consumers and the driving conditions in this country, with years of dedication from our engineers. I guarantee with pride that HB20 will change the perception of Brazilian customers in the small-car segment.”

Hyundai spent nearly five years developing the new model, which is part of a larger regionalization strategy.

The new model offers nine variations with standard entry-level features including hydraulic power steering, dual front airbags, air conditioning, spoiler with built-in brake light, rear windshield wiper and numerous storage compartments.

HB stands for Hyundai Brasil, while the number 20 is the auto maker’s characterization for vehicles in this segment.

The HB20 offers three flex-fuel, continuously variable valve timing powertrains: 1.0L 3-cyl. and 1.6L 4-cyl. engines, both with a manual 5-speed transmission, and a 1.6L with 4-speed automatic transmission.

Hyundai says the 1.0L Kappa flex-fuel-version engine is 6% more powerful than the average mill in the HB20 segment, producing 80 hp. The 1.6L Gamma FFV engine produces 128 hp, which HMB says is 23% more power than the segment average.

Sedan and cross/utility vehicle versions of the HB20 launch in 2013.

The BR1.2 billion ($600 million) Piracicaba plant is Hyundai’s seventh manufacturing base outside South Korea. Other facilities are located in China, Czech Republic, India, Russia and Turkey.