2012 Hyundai Accent Replacement "Verna"?
I just saw the recently posted pictures from the Beijing China Auto Show of Hyundia`s 2012 replacement for its its aging Accent! It`s stunning IMO! A shrunken version of the 2011 Sonata, its going to be a killer in the increasing hot B Segment sub-compact group. I`m sure Kia, Hyundia`s sibling company will be replacing its aging Rio with a similar updated vehicle as well. I hope the at least one of these companies makes available a 5 door hatchback like the Rio5. Hyundia Accent only had the 4 door sedan and 3 door hatchback. I love my 2006 Kia Rio5 and will not purchase anything other then a 5 door hatchback. Its sporty, yet offers the practical configuration possibilities of a small wagon allowing for easy placement of bulky objects and bicycles!
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http://www.hyundai-blog.com/index.php/2010/04/23/2012-hyundai-accent-debuts-as-v- erna-compact-sedan/
I too had a 1988 Excel 3 door hatchback GLS I bought new. It was my first brand new car. Mine was the 5 speed manual. You'll remember the 1.5L engine was made by Mitsubishi. So many people complained about the old Hyundais but mine was pretty durable and got great gas mileage(32-38 mpg). Granted it was only like 68 hp but still, I bought it brand new out the door for $8000.
I drove the car for around 60,000 miles then when my brother returned from the first Gulf War(desert storm) I gave it to him as a homecoming gift. He and his wife drove that car for years.....The odometer broke at 160,000 miles then he and his wife divorced and his wife got the Hyundai and I have no idea what came of it. We estimate it had 190,000 when his wife left him. No major failures in the car except air conditioning.
Since then I've owned a '92 Scoupe, '98 Sonata, '02 Santa Fe, '07 Santa Fe and now a '08 Veracruz. Our next will be the Turbo Sonata when it comes out later this year....Cant wait!!
Craig
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
Though I love my 2010 Accent, I am bummed about missing the 6 speed auto. The current 4 speed lacks refinement and the ratio gap between 2nd and 3rd gear is too large. I will say Hyundai is crazy if they plan on putting the same 1.6 in both the Accent and Elantra. There would be no differentiation between them except for the amount of space. If the 1.6 GDI is indeed going into the Elantra, they need to put a smaller 1.4 GDI into the Accent to make it stand out big time in gas mileage.
http://www.hyundai-blog.com/index.php/2010/11/02/hyundai-accent-2011-launched-in- -korea/
The Sandman :sick: :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
I think I like the dash of the Accent better than the Elantra's. The Accent's is cleaner, and a huge improvement over the old Accent. Hope that dash makes it to NA.
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/11/the-2012-hyundai-accent/
The nose isn't real great, is it? But not bad enough to strike the car off my list. It takes a pretty ugly car, ala Aztek, to do that.
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2011/01/2012-hyundai-accent-gets-most-power-f- uel-economy-in-its-class-montreal-auto-show.html
Looks like a great update, especially the 1.6L GDI 138 hp engine, 6-speed trannies, and all the standard safety equipment. And a 5-door hatch! Yesssssss!
The FE numbers look a little low for a car of this weight (30.5/41 mpg for US gallons per the article), not much better than the bigger and more powerful Elantra, but those are unofficial numbers.
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
It will be a couple of years before I need to buy another car, but so far the new Accent looks like one to have on my shopping list.
If Hyundai is making a huge mistake here, then so are a lot of other automakers in this segment, except Toyota, which offers the Yaris in a 3-door hatch. Going up-price a bit, the Mini Cooper and Golf are available as 3-door hatches. But that's it. No 3-door Fiesta, no 3-door Fit, no 3-door Mazda2, no 3-door Versa, no 3-door Aveo, no 3-door Rio.
It would be interesting to see if the 5-door hatch outsells the 3-door. I expect it will, by a large margin, because it's a better fit for more people than a 3-door.
And I think the new 5-door Accent is plenty sporty looking... as are the Fiesta hatch and Mazda2. I think you can have sporty with 4 doors. Unless sporty in your book means "only contortionists are welcome in my rear seat".
As for the Veloster being pricey... what is its MSRP, anyway? The Accent 3-door was only inexpensive in the ridiculous GS trim--ridiculous as in no ABS even available on the car. Going to the SE with standard ABS and nice wheels costs over $16k, and that's with a stick and no options except mats! Not exactly cheap.
As for styling, the Accent 5 door is decently sporty looking, but I think it would look better with 2 doors. It would look sleeker with a more raked rear window rather than the upright wagon look. I'm more lamenting the complete lack of sporty affordable cars. And nothing screams family car more than 4 doors. I'm single and have no kids. I never cart more than one other person in my car, so the rear seat never gets used. What could I possibly gain from 2 extra doors, except more weight?? There are many other single guys and gals out there like me.
The Veloster is predicted to start north of $16k and Edmunds currently lists its base price at $19k (I hope it's not that much! Hell, I might as well get a Genesis for a few thou more!). Quite a bit more expensive than the Accent GS. And it's not even a true 3 door, rather its a 4 door hatch!! My fully equipped GS automatic has ABS, XM/CD with 6 speakers, all power accessories, remote keyless with alarm, and stickered for only $15460 (I purchased for $400 below invoice). ABS is now included as part of the premium package on 2010 and 11 GS models. The only Accent lacking ABS is the GL, formerly the Blue or L model.
If you don't need a rear seat, there's several good options for you in sporty cars, especially used ones. For example, you could get a nice used Tiburon or Miata or S2000 or Mini Cooper or Z, for example. Or even a Civic coupe, which does have a usable rear seat. Much more sporty than any 3-door Accent, and no more money than a 3-door Accent with ABS.
And that 2011 GS with ABS and a stick and mats runs $14,400. Not exactly cheap, considering a MUCH nicer 2011 Elantra (roomier, more powerful, better looking, better fuel economy, ESC with traction control etc.) costs only $1250 more. The Elantra isn't a hatch, of course, but is much more practical for more people than an Accent 3-door hatch.
If you lump together all 3 door hatch sales, I'm willing to bet Hyundai has at least 50% of the market, if not more. Thus why I said their decision makes no sense to abandon it. Why lose 30k sales/yr or more? They won't gain that many sales with the significantly more expensive Veloster.
My sales stats came from some article I read a few months ago. It was talking about hatchback sales. The Nissan Versa was the best selling hatch, followed by the Fit, Accent, and Aveo I believe. The Scion XD was the worst. The article was saying that Hyundai sold 5,000 Accent hatchbacks in one month, so I made an educated guess. At any rate, if those sales stats only included the hatchback, that would say the Accent was selling very well for only offering a 3 door.
Why not offer a 3 door AND a 5 door and let the public decide which they prefer? I almost bet that overall sales of the 3 door would win if current Accent 3 door hatch sales compared to 5 door Rio5 sales are any indication.
During 2010, Hyundai sold over 5,000 Accents in only 3 months, and the most was 5,700--the other two months were around 5,300. I have a hard time believing Hyundai sold only 300-700 sedans in a month when it sold 5,000 3-doors. Possible I suppose, but unlikely given these sales numbers include retail and fleet sales.
If I were you, I'd go for the Golf (or slightly used Rabbit) vs. the Accent 3-door. Far, far superior car, and a real nice 2007-2008 VW Certified Rabbit 3-door with Tiptronic can be had for about what you paid for your Accent GS, or even less.
P.S. If 3-door hatches are so popular, why did the Versa and Fit both outsell the Accent hatch? Accent should have clobbered those other hatches in sales, yes? And where is the 3-door Yaris on that list?
Sales of the Versa and Fit can be easily explained. The Versa is the roomiest car in its class and the largest. Americans love size and tend to gravitate towards the larger cars, even in the subcompact class. The Fit has Honda's name on it, the magic seat, and did better in crash tests. Hyundai has made huge strides in perception but Honda is still considered by many to be a superior product, thus the higher sales.
I do love the Golf, but I won't do used cars and VW reliability scares me some. I love Hyundai's warranty and styling, thus why I want to stay in the family. I've owned my Accent for 4 months and already have 10080 miles!
I really don't remember how the ZX5 "flopped" compared to the ZX3. Maybe where you live, there are lots of young, single people who prefer 3-door hatches? Where I live, in the family-oriented Midwest, I see few 3-door hatches compared to sedans and 5-door hatches and wagons. As you said, Americans gravitate towards size. Also utility, as in getting the most functionality for the dollar. A 5-door provides more utility than a 3-door. For most people I think, utility in an inexpensive car wins out over sportiness.
When I was single, and then married w/o kids, I owned several 2-door and 3-door cars. But not a very useful thing when MWK. Ever tried to wrestle with one or two car seats in a 3-door Accent? Ever tried to climb into the back with a bad back and bad knees (as my wife has)? And, America is not getting younger... it's aging. Notice the humongous levers on seat adjusters and larger dials/knobs on many cars these days? They are being designed for older folk, not youngsters. Sorry. The last 3-door I owned was a 2007 Rabbit. Great car (very reliable, btw, and had a 4-year factory b-to-b warranty as a VW Certified car). When we got rid of our mini-van awhile back, I had to trade the Rabbit on a sedan (Sonata) because my wife had trouble climbing into and out of it.
Maybe you could write a letter to John Krafcik and lay out your case for an Accent 3-door. Or get on the Hyundai Think Tank forum and make your case there. That will probably be a lot more effective than a post here.
The wife will also look at these when she buys next year, though I think the Elantra will fit her needs better. For her, a car is just an appliance to get from point A to point B...it just needs to start & run every time she gets in. She doesn't share my passion in the automotive area & makes fun of me about my Edmunds obsession!
But in the small car category, who could ask for more right now...possibly the biggest selection of new models ever!!
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
Here's the thing; I'm single, no kids but prefer a 5 door. I like the versatility of four doors and a hatchback. I don't like the inconvenience of those rare occasions when friends need to ride in the back seat and the front passenger has to get out, flip the seat forward, then the one or two friends have to squeeze in around the front passenger seat, etc. Pain in the [non-permissible content removed]. Of course, once you're in the back seat it's got the usual creature comforts that I've come to expect from Hyundai like actual lumbar support, etc. But still, it's just much better when those friends can simply open a door and hop in without disturbing the front passenger and having to always readjust the front passenger seat. Plus this new 2012 model has more power and FINALLY bluetooth. Not to mention an awsome 6 speed shiftronic. I'll be trading in my SE the second the 5 door is available here in the US. FYI: There will be an ebony black '07 SE with a sunroof and 6 disc changer for sale soon somewhere in southern california!
I have a funny story. At the Detroit Auto Show last week, the folks at Jalopnik.com asked me to do a live chat with their readers. Having done a few of these with you guys, and loving that experience, I readily agreed. One of their readers asked if the new Accent was going to have a 5-door. I answered in the manner you’d expect me to by saying: “Yes, and it’s going to kick the Fiesta’s butt.” Well, that sure got a lot of attention in Detroit, and in the blogosphere. And I can thank the Think Tank folks for honing my live chat responses in that way! And of course, I think when you see the new Accent, particularly the 5-door SE model, you’re going to agree.
I am reading into this, but I don't think he would have made the blanket "Yes" response in Detroit if the 5-door were going to be Canada-only.
http://www.drivearabia.com/news/2011/03/01/first-drive-hyundai-accent-2012-dubai- -uae-fujairah-gcc/
2012 Accent Press Release
And since one has to spring for the fully-optioned GLS to get a sedan with cruise and remote locking, there's only a few hundred bucks difference with the Elantra GLS with cruise, remote locking, and 16" wheels. The GS hatch might be the best deal.
http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/04/2012-hyundai-accent-price-fuel-economy.html-
You might find this review useful:
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2011/04/2012-hyundai-accent-up-close.html
If you like the interior room of the Elantra Touring, I think you'll be disappointed in the Accent hatch. It will have much less rear legroom (the rear leg room of the Touring is limo-like) and less cargo space.