Diesel additive alert

Hyundai Tucson back as

■ Official sketch reveals ix35-replacing Qashqai rival for Geneva OFFICIAL

Jack Ja Rix

Jack_Rix@dennis.co.ukJack_R @jack_rix

HYUNDAI is bringing the Tucson name back to the UK for the first time since 2009. The new car, which will be sold globally as the Tucson, will be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March before going on sale towards the end of the year, and this official sketch hints at how the compact SUV will look.

The all-new model replaces the sixyear-old ix35, and looks set to offer a more athletic and aggressive exterior design. The Tucson’s proportions have been exaggerated in this designer’s sketch, but it’s a great start for a car that will lock horns with the Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage and Mazda CX-5.

A low, sloping roofline, high waistline and a sharper, sportier stance than the current ix35 (below) are visible. There’s also Hyundai’s updated hexagonal grille, as seen on the facelifted i30. Despite this Range Rover Evoque-style profile, we expect the Tucson to maintain the same level of practicality that the outgoing ix35 offers, with a maximum boot capacity of 1,436 litres.

Peter Schreyer, president and chief design officer of Hyundai, said: “Our new compact SUV will be a big step forward for the Hyundai brand globally.”

Hyundai has very high hopes for the Tucson, especially considering it sold 26 per cent more ix35s than ever before in 2014, despite being the oldest model in the range. The new car, with its rakish design, will also play a crucial part in reshaping opinions of the company.

“We want to move the brand away from a rational purchase and towards an emotional purchase,” said Tony Whitehorn, president of Hyundai UK. “And we want to do it quickly.”

Despite predicted growth in the total UK market of just 0.6 per cent, Whitehorn is hoping for a seven per cent increase in Hyundai sales – for a record-breaking total of 88,000 cars – thanks to a raft of new models.

The new i20 has already been launched this month, the i20 Coupé follows in March along with the new i30 family (including the hot new 183bhp turbo version). A facelifted i40 then arrives in April – the same month the flagship £47,995, V6-powered Genesis saloon goes on sale in seven selected dealers across the UK.

As Hyundai is using its big-bucks WRC campaign as leverage, expect more performance cars to start emerging in the coming months, too. And as a sign of its intent, the brand recently poached Albert Biermann, former VP of engineering at BMW M, to join its team. ix35 has proven a sales hit, so new model is set to build on strong foundations

New grille

Tucson will feature Hyundai’s updated hexagonal grille, which debuted on the facelifted i30

...And little brother has Juke in

A NISSAN Juke-rivalling little brother for the Tucson isn’t far away, either.

A company insider told Auto Express: “We are looking at this very closely and with real interest. It’s something we would like to do, but we have to consider if it is just a fad. The beauty of Hyundai is that if something gets the green light, we can move quicker than others.”

The brand has already shown what it’s capable of with the unveil of the ix25 at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show, but this wouldn’t be an option for

C-X75, Range Rover Sport ’s lead roles in new SPIEDBond film

JAGUAR Land Rover has confirmed its line-up of star cars for the next James Bond film, Spectre, due for release towards the end of this year. Topping the bill will be the C-X75 hypercar that’ll go head-to-head in a “spectacular” car chase through Rome with 007’s Aston Martin DB10.

Prepared by Williams Advanced Engineering, more than one C-X75 has been used for filming. It’s the first time the car’s been seen in any public role since the programme was shelved in December 2012.

The C-X75 is only one part of a product showcase by the marque’s Special Vehicle Operations division, however. “Heavily modified” versions of the Land Rover Defender and Range Rover Sport SVR will feature in scenes filmed in Austria – uprated to an extent that Land Rover is calling the Defender used in the film Big Foot. Special Vehicle Operations has fitted the cars with huge 37-inch off-road tyres, bespoke suspension systems and enhanced body protection.

Managing director John Edwards said: “This is an exciting partnership for Jaguar Land Rover, and an opportunity to demonstrate the fantastic capabilities of the team.”

Hyundai Tucson News as sharper new SUV

Proportions

Low, sloping roofline and high waistline add visual appeal

news inbrief

its sights

Western Europe. “No, a B-SUV would not be based on the ix25,” said the insider. “We liked some cues, but wouldn’t take a production version.”

Although the i20 is based on a new platform, our source added that any mini-SUV won’t necessarily follow suit. New Juke rival could take cues from ix25 revealed at Beijing last year

New Suzukis out of the shadows

SUZUKI is still playing its Geneva Motor Show cards close to its chest, having released these darkened teaser images of two new concepts it’s set to reveal at the event in March. The iK-2 and i-M4 are our first hints at how the brand will achieve its target of launching six new models in the next three years.

But a spokesman was quick to distance the iK-2 from a planned Swift replacement when talking to Auto Express. The curvy car suggests a larger Ford Fiesta rival, confirming marketing boss Dale Wyatt’s promise of a more practical, Nissan Note-style miniMPV that “will answer the reasons not to buy a Swift”.

Wyatt also claimed the car will be “raised up and not as dynamically wired as the Swift”. The mini-MPV fits with the brand’s ideology of having two new cars in each of the A, B and C segments – one “emotional” and the other “rational”. At first glance, we estimate the i-M4 to be a long-awaited Jimny replacement, but the spokesman suggested this was an all-new model. www.autoexpress.co.uk

TEASERS

i-M4 (above) and i-K2 (below) will be revealed at Geneva show

Fresh look for Kia’s facelifted Picanto

AS Hyundai gears up to reveal its new Tucson at Geneva (left), sister brand Kia has revealed this picture (above) of its revised Picanto city car, which also stars at the show.

It gets new bumpers and a fresh ‘tiger-nose’ grille, plus new alloys. Inside are new materials, with extra chrome trim around the air vents and instrument binnacle, plus a revised centre console and several optional colour packs. A seven-inch infotainment touchscreen will be added to the options later this year.

The familiar 1.0-litre MPI threecylinder engine is updated to meet Euro VI emissions rules, and bigger brake discs cut stopping distances. The Picanto will go on sale towards the end of March after its debut.

Sport Pack turns MINIs into JCWs

YOU can now give your standard MINI hatch the look of a JCW with a new Sport Pack. The option (above) brings bonnet stripes, 17-inch alloys and a JCW spoiler and aero kit, while sports suspension is included on all versions, except the entry-level One and One D.

Inside are new cloth or leather seats, a multifunction sports steering wheel and Anthracite headlining, plus JCW sill finishers and an upgraded light pack.

The Sport Pack also brings MINI’s ‘Excitement Pack’ and adjustable driving modes. It costs £3,300 on top-spec models, but this rises to £4,500 on the basic One due to additional kit changes. MINI claims it’ll boost residuals by up to 25 per cent across the range. Special Issue 13