It seems to be all about crossover vehicles at the 2012 Sao Paolo Motor Show. First we had the Nissan Extrem concept, followed by the Volkswagen Taigun concept and now we see the production-ready Hyundai HB20X.

The Hyundai HB20 is a ‘cheap and cheerful’ city car based on the i20 platform, but which is built for the Brazilian and other emerging markets at the Korean manufacturer’s Piracicaba factory in Sao Paolo.

As you can see, the HB20X is a more rugged version of the city car, which has been given a number of styling changes to match, including a redesigned front bumper with hexagonal grille and fog lamps, as well as chrome details and a black bezel for the headlights. Around the wheel arches and the side skirts are plastic mouldings, while the mirror caps have a silver finish. The HB20X rides on 15-inch dark gray alloys and has been fitted with silver roof bars.

The interior has been given a similiar ‘toughening up’, with more upmarket trim that includes chrome highlights, contrast stitching and sports pedals.

The Hyundai HB20X is only available in front-wheel drive and is powered by either a 1.0-litre engine with 60 kW, or a 1.6-litre that produces 95 kW. Both engines use a flex-fuel system in order to cope with the high ethanol content in Brazil’s fuel. The HB20X is available with either a manual or automatic transmission and a sedan version of the HB20 is planned for 2013.

With the i10 and i20 having taken over from the Atos and Getz, Hyundai South Africa have begun to move away from the association of ‘cheap and cheerful’ in recent years, so it’s unsure whether the HB20 would be considered for our local market.