If you need a five star ANCAP rated light commercial vehicle for your fleet in a hurry, then make a call to your local Hyundai dealer, or talk to your Hyundai fleet contact. Because there is heaps of stock available over the next few months.
A spokesperson from Hyundai told Fleet Auto News that, “Hyundai Australia has been working hard to secure incremental supply of STARIA LOAD, and we now have a good volume of stock in market across the nation as well as a healthy production pipeline.”
The opportunity comes from Toyota HiAce, the segment leader, suffering from delays which saw sales in 2023 drop by 18.5%. Looking the VFACTS data, it appears the supply has rebounded in 2024 though a large pipeline of orders will take some time to normalise.
To get the increased stock into the market quickly, Hyundai is offering a driveway deal for under $50k from April to June with a bonus 10% off genuine accessories for a limited time.
Looking at the STARIA LOAD specifications, it has several advantages over the Toyota Hiace that should interest fleet buyers. Fuel consumption is the most relevant when Fleet Managers are looking to reduce CO2 emissions. The Hyundai van has a published combined fuel consumption of 7L/100km compared the 7.5L/100km from the Hiace (barn door model is 8L/100km).
Downtime is something all fleets (regardless of size) should consider when purchasing a light commercial vehicle because time off the road impacts the operation of a business. Breakdowns shouldn’t be a concern for new vehicles, though frequency of servicing is important.
Services schedules for the STARIA LOAD are 15,000km or 12 months, while the Hiace is 10,000km or 6 months. The cost over 60,000km, using the manufacturer’s capped price servicing as published on the websites, for the STARIA LOAD is $1,846, and the Toyota Hiace is $1,740.
On the inside the STARIA LOAD has slightly bigger dimensions which will benefit some fleets, and it has a Braked Towing Capacity of 2,500kg compared to 1,500kg for the Hiace. Both vans have a payload of more than 1,000kg (it varies slightly based on specification).
It’s been a while since I drove either van though I remember the STARIA LOAD being more like a people mover and the Hiace was like a commercial vehicle. So I recommend getting some input from the drivers on which office they would prefer to spend their day in before committing.
