While Indian automaker Tata has made huge waves world wide with their $2,500 Nano, the story really doesn’t have too much teeth here in North America where we will never see the car. Hyundai on the other hand is making some serious moves to move cars on this continent. When was the last time anyone sold a new car for less than 10 grand in Canada?

Not long ago, Hyundai launched an anniversary edition in Quebec only that was selling for just $9,995! Of course the response was so incredible that the offer has been expanded to the rest of the country. With all the stories of consumers heading south of the border to buy cheaper priced new cars, Hyundai has taken the bull by the horns and solved that issue. At $9,995, the Accent is now cheaper in Canada than it is in the USA. Ok, so it is only 5 bucks, but it’s still cheaper!

Let’s remember that most really cheap cars sold here have been short lived, rusty 3rd world machines along the lines of, well, the Nano. Hyundai’s accent has matured into a quality piece that has little problem holding it’s own with the likes of Civic and Corolla, for a fraction of the cost. Friends of The Garage recently bought a 2007 Accent to replace their high mileage 97. The 97 is still on the road, but was getting on in age and it was just time.

How has all of this panned out for Hyundai? In Quebec, consumer traffic through the showroom has increased by a whopping 60%! To further celebrate 25 years of selling cars in Canada, Hyundai has dropped the prices on 4 of their models:

1. Savings of $3,600 on the Accent, now starting at $9,995 (savings
apply to both hatchback and sedan models)
2. Savings of $5,150 on the Sonata, now starting at $18,995
3. Savings of $3,000 on the Tiburon, now starting at $15,995
4. Savings of $4,200 on the Tucson L, now starting at $16,995

It looks like 2008 will be a banner year for the folks at Hyundai Canada!