The Hyundai i40 has become a big hit with families.

Hyundai is on a high after increasing its European market share in three segments, with the i40 boosting its four per cent European share of the large family car market to 6.2 per cent in the four months to April.

According to figures released by automotive industry body ACEA, Hyundai has maintained its year-to-date market share of 3.5 per cent during the first five months of 2013, showing an increase from the 3.3 per cent share achieved in the same period last year.

Hyundai remains on target to maintain the 3.5 per cent full-year market share achieved in 2012.

Hyundai registrations of 36,468 units in May represented an increase of 0.4 per cent versus the same month in 2012, while the overall market fell by 5.9 per cent.

Allan Rushforth, Senior Vice President and COO of Hyundai Motor Europe, said: “The European car market is increasingly hard-wired into fiscal policy. Car buyers are looking at more fuel-efficient cars in response to emissions-based vehicle taxation policy. This helps a company like Hyundai sell more cars – evidenced by the performance of our i20, i30 and i40.

“While consumer confidence is on the way up, there’s still a deferral of vehicle purchases in Europe due to continued economic uncertainties.  We anticipate there will be slow, organic growth in the European car market from the fourth quarter onward this year.”

Figures from industry analyst IHS Global Insight show solid gains for Hyundai models in other key European segments. In the four months to April 2013, the share of the B-segment as a result of the new i20 rose from 2.2 per cent to 2.7 per cent, while the New Generation i30 registered a share increase from 4.5 per cent to 4.8 per cent in the competitive C1-segment.