Is Hyundai PH launching the Beijing-made Reina sedan?

Hyundai Philippines, it seems, has something new in the pipeline.

In a teaser released on their social media page, Hyundai revealed a portion of a car with the caption “R you ready to meet the one?”

After a little bit of checking (and a bit of spot-the-difference between the Accent), the new model appears to be the Hyundai Reina, a model from the line-up of Hyundai's joint venture in Beijing with, unsurprisingly, BAIC. The Reina is also made in Beijing.

Hyundai may have only shown the top, front quarter and greenhouse of the vehicle, but what led us to think this vehicle is the Reina is a quick comparison of the differences with the Accent such as the Reina's unusual hood creases, the lines of the trailing edge of the headlights, the rearward edge of the rear passenger door, and the long character line that meets up with the headlights. 

If it is confirmed, this will be the brand's first Chinese-made model available for sale in the Philippines. 

This could also mean that Hyundai could be marketing two very similarly-sized 4-door sedans in the Philippines side by side, as they launched the Accent in the country just over a month ago.

Last year, reports from other media sites indicated that Beijing Hyundai was eyeing exports of "China factory-specific models" to South East Asian countries. Beijing Hyundai has been having problems with sales in China, and was looking at SEA as a potential market for their vehicles. 

Based on the Chinese specifications, the Reina is a small 4-door sedan that is roughly a touch smaller than the newly-launched Accent. It's 4300mm long (2019 Accent: 4440mm), 1705mm wide (Accent: 1729mm) and 1460mm tall (Accent: 1475mm). Wheelbase is slightly shorter at 2570mm (Accent: 2600mm).

The Chinese-spec Reina also comes with a similar 1.4-liter D-CVVT engine as the Accent but with less power at 95 PS (Accent: 100 PS). Torque is the same at 132 Newton-meters at 4400 rpm. There are two transmission choices based on the Chinese specs: a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic.

The version sold in China comes with features such as hill-hold control, stability control, Apple Carplay, and even an automatic start/stop system which reduces fuel consumption by shutting off and starting the engine in traffic.

If the vehicle is indeed the Reina, we expect it to be priced slightly lower than the Accent which, incidentally, Hyundai also hasn't fully released the pricing of.