Welly 1:43 2010 Hyundai I30, 2017 Hyundai Ioniq, and 2017 Kia Sorento

Once again here are more from the Welly and Hyundai/Kia partnership now centered on the unique Hyundai hatchback (it’s not the Veloster), the new Hyundai hybrid line, and the first Kia SUV for the Welly line.

2010 Hyundai I30

As mentioned before the 2017 Elantra is Welly’s first Hyundai Elantra even though the chassis was first introduced as the I30, the 5-door hatchback version of the Elantra sold in Europe and eventually made its way into the U.S. despite the fact that when it arrived the all-new 2010 Elantra was starting to come out.  Styling is definitely more diverse than the Elantra sedan as it has a more Euro-centric look with a flow-back front-end, smaller grille, and tall taillights that stretch the length of the D-pillar.  The interior, meanwhile, has a dashboard that looks pretty close to the 2010 Elantra sedan, but it has more room for five and a rear hatch that provides more cargo space flexibility.  The engine is a 2.0L DOHC I-4 that produces 143 horsepower through a 6-speed manual transmission.  Eventually the I30 got styling that looks more like the Elantra though it is a few years behind the Elantra in evolution.

The blue I30 looks pretty good and unique among the other 5-door hatchbacks that Welly offers in 1:43 scale.  The front has headlights that sweep back looking like a tadpole, larger lower grille with a smaller upper one for the H-logo, and stand-alone foglights on the sides.  The side profile shows a tall 5-door hatchback look with sporty split 5-spoke wheels, while the rear has tall taillights that wrap into the hatchback where the H-logo also serves as the hatch release handle.  The base, like many other Hyundai models, does not show much except for the exhaust and the rather small fuel tank, while the doors open to a detailed dashboard with simple control layout in the center, 4-spoke steering wheel, and center console with shifter, and on this tester lacks the pullback motor that other versions offer.  Despite being dated this I30 still has a very unique and sporty look.

2017 Hyundai Ioniq

Admittedly Hyundai is late to the Prius-beater party with the Ioniq, but it does serve a unique platform that offers three different drive setups to represent all styles of green driving.  There’s the natural hybrid with the parallel electric motor up front to provide a brief driving range of electric power before the gas motor kicks in, the long-range hybrid that offers a lithium-ion battery for longer range and a charge port for charging at home or the office, or the pure electric model without the gas motor.  All three look the same as a Prius-looking Hyundai model sharing most styling elements with other Hyundai models.  In the front the headlights connect to the large black grille, while at the rear the taillights connect to the rear mail slot window; the interior has a more natural Hyundai look with only the gauges and the shifter location unique to the Ioniq, along with the large cargo area.  The engine is a 1.6L DOHC I-4 paired with a parallel electric motor to produce a combined 148 horsepower and connected to a 6-speed dual clutch automatic transmission instead of the typical CVT in other hybrid competitors.

Like the 2017 Tucson the Ioniq would look great with some additional details to fill in some mono-color areas.  The front has headlights that flow in nicely with the large black grille and joined by vertical side gills with integrated LED running lights.  The sides have a typical hybrid hatch profile with a sunroof and 5-spoke wheels that could benefit from some blackwash to look more complete, while the rear has round taillights that connect to the center rear window, IONIQ letters on the rear liftgate, and a lower bumper that has a black trim to break up an all-white profile.  The base does show a little more than the exhaust system with some rear suspension components and the shape of the fuel tank suggests that the battery rides just above it.  The interior has a nice setup with a 3-spoke steering wheel and a center infortainment screen that gives some character to the otherwise typical dashboard layout.  The center stack has controls surrounding the shifter and the five-passenger seating has detailed bolsters and door panels.  Despite the me-too Prius profile the Ioniq has some interesting touches that makes the Hyundai hybrid stand out.

2017 Kia Sorento

While Welly makes a lot of Hyundai models, Kia models seem to be limited to a few, but that is about to change as a few more will join the line later on and one of them is the first Kia SUV for Welly, the Sorento.  Since then not only has Welly offered the first replica of the third-generation Sorento, but Siku has also offered the first one in 1:64 for 2018. The Sorento started out life as the new body-on-frame SUV to replace the Sportage in 2003 even though the Sportage would reappear as a new front-wheel drive SUV a few years later.  In 2010 the Sorento converted to front-wheel drive shared with the new Santa Fe and also built in Kia’s first U.S. plant in Georgia.  For 2017 the second-generation continues the Sorento look with styling that is more in-line with other Kia products, especially the Kia Optima.  The tiger nose connects to larger headlights with 4-spot LED foglights just below, a longer wheelbase, and taillights that are smaller and look more like the Optima.  The interior has a dashboard with center controls that are now more level with the gauges and seating for five that now enjoy a larger sunroof.  The engine is a 2.4L DOHC I-4 that produces 190 horsepower through a six-speed automatic to an optional full-time four-wheel drive system.

Despite the poor paint quality my Sorento tester looks pretty good in black.  The front has large headlights that sweep back from the detailed tiger nose grille with KIA logo and lower bumper with quad LED foglights.  The side profile shows the tall SUV look with chrome window trim and multi-spoke wheels, while the rear has detailed taillights but could use some more details to enhance the rather flat rear end design.  The base does not show much except for the exhaust system, rear spare tire, and a larger fuel tank design, while the doors open to an interior with seating for five, detailed door panels, 3-spoke steering wheel, and dashboard controls that seem to be smaller than they really are in real life.  It is a really nice SUV and finally starts increasing the Kia portfolio at Welly.