Hyundai’s Hot Little 47 MPG i10

Like most automakers, Hyundai produces much smaller and more fuel efficient cars that are regularly sold in markets outside the U.S. One example is this automaker's i10 model that was introduced in October 2007 and has received great reviews. The i10 is manufactured in Chennai, India and sold in about 70 countries ...but not here. Happily, that could change because Hyundai is now seriously considering selling the i10 in the U.S. as well.

The i10 is a tiny car, and thus would probably be marketed as a 'city car' in the U.S. Until now, Americans haven't taken to very small cars, but this could be changing as witnessed by strong sales of the smart, Honda Fit, and Toyota Versa.

With an overall length of only 140 inches, the five-door i10 is about three feet longer than the Smart. With a rather long 93.7-inch wheelbase for its size, wheels are near the corners and result in more interior space for people and luggage, as well as a 'bigger' car ride. The i10 is labeled as a five-passenger vehicle.

An i10 variant sold in the American market would probably be powered by the 1.2 liter Kappa engine. This four-cylinder 16-valve DOHC powerplant is rated at 80 horsepower and would be mated to a manual or optional automatic transmission. The i10 gets 47 mpg overall and it has a 35 liter fuel tank.

Hyundai would undoubtedly have to beef up the i10 to meet U.S. safety requirements with items like more substantial bumpers. This could add several hundred pounds to the car's overall weight and somewhat impact fuel economy. The current i10 comes with four airbags as standard equipment. It features a McPherson strut with stabilizer bar suspension in front and coupled torsion beam axle with coil spring in the rear. There are ventilated disc brakes up front and drums at the rear.

Since the i10 is a pretty basic vehicle, it would be priced substantially less than the smart and thus probably appeal to a different market segment. Even so, the i10 has features like a real tailgate rather than just a piece of glass, four opening windows with powered ones in front, central locking, electric power steering, tinted glass, 14-inch wheels, and an integrated six-speaker CD/MP3 stereo. Air conditioning is standard on all models. All this means quite a bit of value for the money if the i10 is priced as we believe it would be in the U.S.