[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor has launched an all-new subcompact in China to help revive local sales hit hard by ongoing political tension between both countries, the company said on Sept. 19.

Beijing Hyundai Motor, a joint venture set up between Hyundai Motor and BAIC Motor in 2002, unveiled the fully revamped All New Reina subcompact, the company said in a statement.

It said sales have begun with emphasis placed on drawing in younger consumers.

The carmaker first launched the Reina in the world’s largest automobile market in 2010 and sold an accumulated 1.16 million units as of August, the company said.

The All New Reina comes with a 1.4-liter gasoline engine and with a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic transmission, it said.

Beijing Hyundai said the new vehicle sports a modern design, excellent fuel economy and class-leading torque, as well as a host of safety features such as electronic stability control and hill-start assist control.

By Alex Lee and newswires (alexlee@heraldcorp.com)