[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor said on Oct. 19 it has unveiled the Lafesta, a compact sedan built exclusively for Chinese customers, to expand its presence in the world’s largest automobile market.
The sporty compact -- which is similar to the Avante in size -- comes with a 1.6-liter Turbo-GDi engine and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, Hyundai Motor said in a statement.
The Lafesta is equipped with a host of safety features, such as lane departure warning, blind spot detection and a forward collision warning system, it said.
The model is priced at between 119,800 yuan (US$17,000) and 154,800 yuan, depending on options.
Hyundai has five plants in China, which have a combined annual capacity of 1.65 million units. Kia Motors, a 34-percent-owned affiliate of Hyundai Motor, has three plants in China, which can churn out 890,000 vehicles.
By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)