Hyundai i20 Active - Ford EcoSport's rival in Vietnam

The small SUV is equipped with a 1.4-liter engine with 100 horsepower, has only one version, 4 color options and a price of 619 million.

Hyundai brought the i20 active to Vietnam at a time when the Korean car company had many advantages. The small SUV segment revived with the representative of Ford EcoSport. Hyundai succeeded in the small segment with the i10, and gradually took over the market share of higher segments.

Ford EcoSport is not the first name in the small SUV segment in Vietnam. During the period 2004-2007, the domestic market received Daihatsu Terios, a Japanese car model with sales of only 625 units in 4 years of presence, much lower than the target of 1,000 units per year, forcing the joint venture to close production in 2007.

Hyundai i20 Active.

Entering Vietnam at the end of June 2014 in the context of high demand for SUVs, Ford EcoSport quickly integrated with sales of 1,625 cars in 2014, ending the first half of 2015 with 1,706 cars. The success of the American representative made Hyundai immediately bring the i20 Active to Vietnam after introducing it in India.

Choosing Ho Chi Minh City as the place to introduce and launch a new 3S dealership, the Korean car company determined that the Southern market is still much "weaker" in terms of small car sales compared to the North. This move shows the company's ambition to conquer the Southern market.

The overall design of the Active is similar to the i20 hatchback version with the "Fluidic Sculpture 2.0" language but the details are shaped stronger and more road-oriented. The round fog lamp cavity is simple and muscular, while the fog lamps on the hatchback are urban with horizontal LED bulbs. The headlights and taillights are the same with LED daytime running lights. The front and rear bumpers have been changed to be more aggressive, true to the SUV style.

The overall dimensions of the i20 Active are 3,995 mm long, 1,760 mm wide, 1,555 mm high, 2,570 mm wheelbase, and 190 mm ground clearance. Meanwhile, the EcoSport is taller (1,658 mm), has a shorter wheelbase (2,520 mm) and higher ground clearance (200 mm), making the i20 Active feel more hatchback-oriented and urban than the American model. The Korean model generally tends to be neutral, quite gentle, and not as individual as the EcoSport.

The interior of the Hyundai i20 Active uses a basic layout that arranges the air vents, audio control area, and then the air conditioning control buttons. To create an eye-catching look that attracts young people, the small SUV uses two contrasting colors in the interior: black and orange.

The electronic power steering wheel integrates audio control buttons, calls, automatic air conditioning, entertainment system supporting Radio, CD, Aux and Bluetooth with 8 speakers. Other amenities that the Korean car company brings to the small car include smart key, Start/Stop, rear camera and turn signals integrated on the rearview mirror.

Powering the car is a 1.4-liter Kappa MPI engine that produces 100 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 133 Nm at 3,500 rpm. 4-speed automatic transmission. These figures are slightly lower than the 1.5-liter engine of the Ford EcoSport (110 horsepower, 140 Nm).

Safety technology includes 6 airbags, ABS anti-lock brakes, EBD electronic brake force distribution, parking assist. These technologies are at a basic level, equivalent to the low-end version of EcoSport, but compared to the highest-end version EcoSport Titanium, i20 Active does not have hill-start assist.

Hyundai only offers a single version in the Vietnamese market at a price of 619 million VND, while Ford EcoSport costs 606-681 million VND with 3 versions. The Korean car company sells i20 Active imported from India, aiming for 200 cars/month and considering assembling if it sells well.

According to VnExpress