Hyundai Canada will no longer be speaking with an Accent. The subcompact car will be retired in Canada after the end of the model year after a long run and nearly half a million sales here. The sedan left at the end of last model year, and now the hatchback has joined it.
While it comes not long after the announcement that the Honda Fit, another big player in the segment, was not returning, the news of the Accent's demise it a bit more of a surprise. The Accent arrived in 1994, and was the top seller in the class for 10 years running from 2009 until 2018. The latest model made its global debut in Toronto in 2018, being shown here before any other market. Canada also got both the hatch and sedan in 2018 and 2019, while the hatchback didn't make it into the U.S. market.
Buyers of the 2020 model will likely appreciate the 1.6L 120-hp four-cylinder engine and CVT combo that were new for that year and will as such be a one-year wonder.
But crossovers continue to rule the day, and so the subcompact car continues its disappearance. "In the midst of the most aggressive product offensive in Hyundai history, we are rapidly improving the breadth and depth of our successful product portfolio,” said Don Romano, President and CEO of Hyundai Auto Canada in a press release. “The successful introductions of both the Hyundai Venue and Kona represent great opportunities to offer the very best, award-winning vehicles on the market to our customers who are seeking entry-level and well-equipped transportation."
As of the end of June, the brand-new Venue was already outselling the Accent nearly two to one, with the Kona matching pace with the Elantra.
So while Hyundai loses its Accent, and we say farewell to yet another small car, we can't help wonder which of the shrinking pool is left. Kia Rio, should we be concerned?
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