Hyundai plans more MPVs

Hyundai believes that MPVs are the future, at least for Europe. Kun-Hee Ahn, chief Hyundai’s European operation said, "The world is currently a very unfriendly place for SUVs. For us the future has two directions. We will do more MPVs: our smaller B (supermini) and C (compact family) segment i20 and i30 will each have a people carrier version built on their platform."

The i30 MPV will be inspired by the i-Mode concept and will be revealed in 2010. After it the company will also unveil a MPV based on the i20. Hyundai is also to launch a replacement to its Sonata saloon, the i40, next year but hasn’t yet decided on its BMW 5-Series rival, the i50.