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Buyers looking for a hybrid car with no delay: which do you want first, the good news or the good news?
The good news is that Hyundai's new i30 Sedan Hybrid has a new national drive-away price that undercuts the sedan version of the popular Corolla hybrid. Hyundai is clear in its messaging, too, specifically calling out the Corolla in its announcement to media.
The entry-level i30 Sedan Hybrid is priced at $35,990 drive-away, while calculated drive-away prices for the Corolla (based on a Sydney location) have the hatch starting from $35,917 and the sedan from $36,133.
It's a savvy marketing play by Hyundai, with the i30 Sedan Hybrid's retail price (before on-road costs) of $33,000 slightly higher than the Corolla Ascent Sport Hybrid sedan's $32,320 retail price.
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i30 Sedan Premium pictured – base-model images still to come
The other good news is that Hyundai will have 200 i30 Sedan Hybrid cars here in January, followed by another 400 in February – and a promise of "less than three months" for any further orders.
Our last information on the Corolla shows delays of around 225 days, depending on the specification – nearly three times longer than the wait on Hyundai's new hybrid, if you don't get one of the cars already inbound. For its part, Toyota's website reveals only that it has "extended wait times".
Hyundai also offers, for your consideration, the below comparison of pricing and equipment highlights for the i30 Sedan Hybrid and the Corolla Ascent Sport Hybrid.
| i30 Sedan Hybrid | Corolla Ascent Sport Hybrid (sedan) |
|---|---|
| $33,000 MLP / $35,990 DA | $32,320 MLP / $36,133 DA |
| 1.6L petrol Hybrid - FWD | 1.8L petrol Hybrid - FWD |
| 104 kW combined | 103 kW combined |
| 147 Nm @ 4000 rpm | 142 Nm @ 3600 rpm |
| 6 Speed dual-clutch automatic transmission | Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) |
| 3.9L/100km combined fuel consumption | 3.9L/100km combined fuel consumption |
| 16” alloy wheels | 16” alloy wheels |
| Leather appointed steering wheel and gear shifter* | PVC plastic steering wheel and gear shifter |
| Dual-zone climate control | Single-zone climate control |
| Rain sensing windscreen wipers | Manual windscreen wipers |
| * 'leather appointed' usually means a combination of genuine and synthetic leather (vinyl / PVC), so Hyundai's point here might not be much to brag about. | |
We'll have our first chance to drive the i30 Sedan Hybrid in February when press cars become available – that's when we'll know if Hyundai's hybrid can outdo the proven Toyota system.
In the meantime, see our full 2024 i30 Sedan pricing story linked below.
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