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All new (?) Hyundai ix20

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Hynudai will be showing an all new model at the Paris auto show.
But it is basically their version of the good looking Kia Venga they’ve been selling in Europe since last year…


Here is the Kia version, which, in my opinion, looks actually much better.
The interior reminds me of the Forte, which is good.

I have no idea why (besides saving cash) would Hyundai offer the same car twice. It is already hard to feel a real difference between them and Kia, and cheap tricks like these don’t help.

Conversation 13 comments

  1. OK OK enuf with that new Hyundai "angry bug face" front end! A new Tucson was right behind me recently and at first glance in the rearview mirror I thought I was about to get eaten…and not in a good way!

  2. Isn't it a little to soon for them to be acting like OLD GM and OLD Ford?

    My first thought when I saw this was "This has the Kia side windows trademark look"…..and now I know why…because it actually does.

  3. There's little doubt that Hyundai is well on their way to having the best looking automotive line-up in the entire industry.

    This is one handsome little run-about.

  4. There are those who prefer Hyundai's styling, and those, like myself, who prefer Kia's styling. More choice is better!

    But I prefer Hyundai's hexagonal grille to the multitude of "big smiling mouth" grilles on the market.

    Hyundai and Kia should sell the ix20 and Venga in North America. They should just drop the 2.0L 156 HP from the Forte into it, making sure a 6-speed manual is available, and they will have surprisingly high sales numbers.

  6. Personally, both look much better then the new Aveo, especially the KIA. And I agree with the person above – I hate the way that Hyundai applies the hexagonal grill on some of its vehicles. It especially looks terrible on this ix20 and the Tucson.

  9. sorry, but I'm just not feeling this one from Hyundai…kinda reminds me of someone wearing their pants up too high in the back…very awkward…nope, you're not going to get laid driving this piece.

  10. Vince,

    I'm a huge fan of Kia's new direction and have all but resolved myself to buying an Optima Turbo next spring. I think the Venga looks great and would make an interesting alternative to the Ford Fiesta.

    The reason for the same basic car being marketed by the 2 name plates is likely based on distribution. Hyundai's dealer network is larger and therefore provides the product greater visibility and thus produces higher profits. We also need to remember that Hyundai does own 100% of Kia, only 40%. That means that wile the 2 companies are obviously tied at the hip, they are still somewhat independent (think Ford/ Mazda before the break-up in 2008).

  11. The Kia does look nice, but the headlights look like they've been taken from a Toyota iQ, and the lower air intakes from a Golf GTi.
    As for the Hyundai, it is hideous. I'm still not understanding their 'random swoops' design philosophy.
    As with all Hyundais recently, it looks like a melted down version of it's Kia sister.

  12. I'm just a little confused about the face of Hyundai? Is their design direction supposed to be of the Sonata's or the Tucson's? BTW, I like the Kia better.

  13. "As with all Hyundais recently, it looks like a melted down version of it's Kia sister."

    Exactly! Good one! 🙂

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