USA Today - Hyundai sticks to sales-building script with new Accent

Following sales home runs with revamps of its formerly bland Sonata midsize and Elantra compact sedans, Hyundai used its now-familiar recipe to remake its entry-level subcompact Accent by:

• Making it a bit bigger to be roomier inside.
• Adding features more commonly seen in larger and more expensive cars.
• Using high-tech powertrain upgrades to increase gas mileage, making the new Accent capable of 40 miles a gallon on the highway.
• Amping up its looks in the distinctive new swoopy Hyundai style.

Now Accent, just arriving at dealers, could shake up the subcompact segment populated by rivals such as the Honda Fit and new Ford Fiesta, as well as the Toyota Yaris. Coming soon are a redone Nissan Versa and all-new Chevrolet Sonic.

A bare-bones sedan version, with manual transmission and few amenities, starts at $12,445. That's about $2,000 more than the previous entry model, a base hatchback coupe that's been dropped. The automatic-transmission sedan, which also adds AC and other features, starts at $15,195. Shipping adds $760 to each. A five-door hatchback with a stick starts $14,595 plus shipping.

The old base coupe -- which competed with a special base Nissan Versa to be the cheapest new car in the U.S. -- never sold big because buyers want more features, even at the bottom end of the market, Mike O'Brien, Hyundai America's vice president for product planning, told Drive On at a Southern California intro event.

Accent will test Hyundai's recent record for redesigns that launch with big sales:
The new Sonata midsize sedan took off after its introduction a year ago, and by last month, it was the 13th-best-selling vehicle in the U.S., according to Autodata.

The restyled Elantra compact introduced earlier this year was the 10th-best seller last month, and dealers were having a hard time keeping them in stock. Hyundai has brought in some from South Korean plants to supplement inventory from its Alabama plant, which is running flat out making Elantras and Sonatas.

The Accent, made in South Korea, is Hyundai's third model rated at 40 miles a gallon on the highway, following the Elantra and the Sonata hybrid. A fourth, the new Veloster coupe, is due this fall. The old Accent with manual got just 34 mpg highway.

The new Accent also has a respectable 30 mpg city rating. The higher mileage numbers came through better aerodynamics,a weight cut, low-resistance tires and electric power steering.

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