Hyundai gives glimpse of third-gen i30

Vital C-segment Hyundai i30 hatchback to premiere in September.

What's the news?

This is a hint of what the third-generation Hyundai i30 C-segment hatchback will look like - with the car due to get a global premiere in early September ahead of its full debut at October's Paris Motor Show.

The i30 can be said to be the model that turned Hyundai from a brand known for value-for-money products into a company making genuine contenders for class honours across the board, so the new car is vital to the company's success.

We can't see much at this stage, but it is evident it is going to take a lot of its styling cues from the revised i40 launched in 2015, and the all-new i20 B-segment hatch put out in the same year. There's an angular, hexagonal front grille (although this has been developed into the 'Cascading grille', about which Hyundai is keeping relatively tight-lipped at the moment), sleek headlight clusters, two vertical strips of LED daytime running lamps in the lower bumper and a rear end that is not entirely dissimilar to that in the current BMW 1 Series.

Expect the usual engines from the rest of the Hyundai fold to make appearances in the i30, including units such as the 1.0-litre GDI triple and the 1.7- and 2.0-litre CRDi units. There may even be a hybrid, using tech from the Ioniq, and there will definitely be a 'proper' hot hatch version of it called the i30 N.

Hyundai will show off the newest generation of i30 on September 7 and it promises the new vehicle - designed, developed and tested in Europe - 'will offer an efficient and dynamic powertrain line-up, state-of-the-art safety and connectivity, and provide excellent value to meet European and global customers' needs'.

Anything else?

Peter Schreyer, president and chief design officer of Hyundai Motor Group, said: "The new generation i30 is a car for everybody. From a design perspective, we haven't just considered one customer; we have focused on a wide range of different people. This model showcases an evolution of Hyundai Motor's design language with natural flowing lines, refined surfaces and a sculpted body to create a timeless appearance. We are also introducing our further developed grille: the Cascading grille."

Published on: August 10, 2016