The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Ford Transit Cargo, Iveco New Daily, Renault Trafic, Fiat Ducato and Volkswagen Crafter might have a new competitor to deal with in the New Zealand light commercial vehicle market.
Hyundai New Zealand general manager Andy Sinclair has confirmed to AutoTalk, that the Turkish-built Hyundai H350 delivery van will be built in right-hand-drive.
“Yes they will become available in RHD,” says Sinclair. “But I cannot confirm any timing at this stage.”
According to European media reports from the recent IAA Hannover commercial vehicle trade show, the H350 will be built in van, cab/chassis and minibus variants. It will sit above the current iLoad and iMax vans in the Hyundai light commercial range.
The H350 is powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine which is available in in two states of tuning. The lower output version produces 110kW of power and 373Nm of torque, while the top-end diesel has 125kW and 422Nm. Power is sent to the rear wheels, and there’s currently only a six-speed manual gearbox.
It sits in the 3.5-tonne (gross vehicle weight) van category and can be had with two or three front seats, while a 4-tonne passenger bus will also be available with either 14 or 15 seats.
The cargo area measures 3780 millimetres long, 1795mm wide and 1955mm tall (or 12.9 cubic metres), which Hyundai claims is enough to swallow five standard European pallets. There are 14 tie-down points in the load bay and the H350 is fitted with a standard steel bulkhead to keep the driver and front passengers insulated from noise and/or loose items.
The Hyundai H350 van will go on sale in European markets in the last quarter of 2014.
