Hyundai Motor has said that it would develop a mid-sized sedan aimed mostly at China by 2013.
The automaker expects sales of midsize sedans will surge in coming years in China, a Hyundai spokesman told the Korea Herald.
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“The China-oriented sedan will not be a remodeled car,” he said. “A new model which would undergo all processes from design to production will be unveiled.”
The sedan will likely be produced at Beijing Hyundai Motor’s third factory, scheduled to go into operation next year, according to the spokesman.
Work began on the 400,000 unit factory last November and, on completion, scheduled for July 2012, Beijing Hyundai’s annual capacity will be 1m.
Hyundai has said it plans to begin producing a small vehicle designed for China at the new plant during the second half of 2012 and that other models, also designed for the market, will be added to the plant in the future.
However, models produced in China so far differ only in minor styling details, equipment specification and, sometimes, name from those sold elsewhere.
Hyundai Motor recently agreed a deal with Sichuan Nanjun Automobile to establish a commercial vehicle plant in China.
Its China sales were about 246,400 between January and April and over 700,000 vehicles were sold last year.
