Hyundai has introduced the i40 saloon at €24,995.
Hyundai recently launched the i40 in estate form to great critical acclaim at the same price, but now with the four-door version coming on line for 2012 delivery, Hyundai is raising the estate's price by €1,000.
When asked by Motors why it's raising the price, Hyundai said it could have brought the saloon in at a lower price but didn't want to discount at the expense of the comprehensive equipment and excellent five-year 'triple care' warranty.
With i40 Hyundai says the selling price, while important, is not the be all and end all.
With i40 Hyundai is confident that the car will be seen as a modern premium offering.
'Comfort' is the entry-level specification; €26,495 gets the 'Executive' saloon and €29,995 is the asking price for the automatic saloon - again add €1,000 for the estate version.
All versions are powered by a 1.7-litre diesel.
The Ireland i40 marketing campaign will begin on October 24 and will see Hyundai spend up to €500,000 until early December promoting the car and the brand as a whole.
November 7 will see an open week in dealerships in an effort to conquest 'new to the brand' customers.
The marketing department has a busy period ahead.
One of interesting new initiatives is a loyalty programme called 'MY Hyundai'. Hyundai buyers as members of the club will get retail discounts from a variety of retailers from car hire, hotels to DVD rentals.
Hyundai is currently number 8 in the Irish car market but wants to climb to number 4 by 2013.
