AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)08/05 Report--

Beijing Hyundai released its first MPV Cousteau appearance map on Aug. 5, with the slogan "for Chinese families to travel". It can be seen that Beijing Hyundai's first MPV model will focus on the family car market. It is reported that the new car will be unveiled at the Chengdu Auto Show at the end of this month and is expected to go on sale in mid-September.

From the official picture, Beijing Hyundai Kustu has adopted a new design language, the forward gas grille uses a dot-like chrome-plated total, the obsidian front grille with three sections of fanged LED headlights appears to be very recognizable, at the same time, the huge front and middle net occupies most of the front area, and the rest, including the lower encirclement, are relatively simple, which is different from the current design techniques of other Hyundai models. From the overall design point of view, the slender body is still in line with the positioning of the MPV model, the new car adopts the design of side sliding door, and the through taillight group is marked with modern English LOGO in the middle. In terms of body size, Kustu's length, width and height are 4950/1850/1734mm and wheelbase 3055mm respectively.

In terms of interior decoration, Cousteau uses a brand new family four-spoke steering wheel and button shift mechanism, and the 10.4-inch central control screen is in line with the trend of today's new cars. In addition, the second row of seats has armrests and is expected to be arranged in a 2-2-3 or 2-2-2 layout. In terms of power, according to the declared information, the new car will provide 1.5T and 2.0T engines, of which 1.5T maximum power is 125kwt 2.0T maximum power is 174kw. In terms of transmission system, it matches the 8-speed automatic transmission.

From the perspective of the current MPV market, the main competitors of Beijing Modern Cousteau after listing are Honda Odyssey / Ericsson, Buick GL8 and other models. In the future, Kia's domestic Jiahua and Toyota's domestic Sienna will be listed one after another, these models will become competitors of Modern Kustu, and the MPV market will become more and more fierce. Figures show that Buick GL8 sales in June were 16418, while Ericsson / Odyssey were 5158 and 3707.

At present, Hyundai is having a hard time in the domestic market. Beijing Hyundai sold 32151 vehicles in June 2021, with a cumulative sales of 193976 in the first half of the year, a far cry from this year's target of 560000, with a completion rate of less than 35 per cent, according to the Federation of passengers.

As a joint venture brand once on an equal footing with Volkswagen and General Motors, the development of Beijing Hyundai in the domestic market is on the verge of danger. Beijing Hyundai set a target of 750000 vehicles in 2019, but due to market, product, sales network, and service system and other factors, cumulative sales reached 716000 vehicles in 2019, and fell to 502000 vehicles in 2020 under the influence of the epidemic.

Of course, Beijing Hyundai has also taken rescue measures, such as launching new Elantra, 10th-generation Sonata, brand-new ix35, brand-new Mentu, brand-new Tusheng L and other models in 2020, making the products younger. However, in terms of sales, it is difficult to boost the overall sales of Hyundai in Beijing. In terms of sales in the first half of the year, the cumulative sales of Elantra, the best-performing model of Hyundai in Beijing, was 57917, while Hyundai ix35 ranked second with 40245, while sales of Tusheng L, Mingtu, Sonata and other models were very low.

Kustu is not only the first MPV model of Beijing Hyundai, Beijing Hyundai naturally places high hopes on this model, but it is still uncertain whether this model can become a counterattack product of Beijing Hyundai. From the point of view of product positioning, Kustu has lost its advantage both in size and product if it is targeted at Buick GL8. If the standard Honda Odyssey / Ericsson, although there is a certain advantage in size, but Honda MPV in the domestic market for many years, in the brand reputation is unmatched by Kusto. Kustu's biggest advantage may be in price, with lower prices, larger size to compete with other MPV models, for consumers, this is the biggest attraction.

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