Hyundai Doubles Capacity at Turkish Factory to Build New i10

While the rest of the European auto market has fallen off, HyundaiHyundaiRepublic of Korea, 1967 > present79 models
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has tended to outperform its competitors in the region. To keep up with growing demand, capacity at its factory in Izmit, Turkey, which Hyundai calls HAOS, has been doubled to 200,000 units a year after a $677 million upgrade. The first new {TOOLTIP|SERIES|54250i10 models are also rolling out of the factory. The new model and upgrades have added 2,700 jobs to the factory.

“HAOS will be the sole production center of the New Generation i10, which has a strategic importance for European markets. We will continue investing more at HAOS to produce world-class quality vehicles,” said Euisun Chung, Vice Chairman at Hyundai.

The latest i10 is 80mm longer overall, 65mm wider and 50mm lower than the previous generation, which translates to a 10% boost in cargo capacity to 252 liters with all of the seats up. The wheelbase is 5mm longer.

The look of the new generation could be called a more dynamic version of the current car. It retains the one-box design but with Hyundai's hexagonal grill. The black trim strip along the lower portion of the side accentuates the way that the body widens at the rear fenders.

The upgrade to the factory lasted 16 months, and it will also build the i20Hyundai i20Republic of Korea, 2008 > 201462 versions
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. The factory was originally built in 1997 with a capacity of 60,000 units a year. The upgrade to 100,000 units a year came in 2006.