Hyundai has released a series of press shots of the 2012 model year i30 ahead of its debut at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. With a bold new look targeting a younger audience, the next i30 aims to take on the likes of the new Ford Focus, Opel Astra and Golf when it arrives here next year.
Visually, the new car sports the company’s hexagonal grille flanked by what are described as “jewel-like” headlamps with sweeping elements that reflect the lines of the grille louvres. In profile, the car has a more muscular appearance than its somewhat nondescript predecessor, thanks at a strong shoulder line.
According to Hyundai’s European Chief Operating Officer, Allan Rushforth, the Korean firm expects the new i30 “to appeal to young, progressive buyers who want a car that not only performs well but looks great too.”
According to Hyundai Automotive South Africa’s product manager, the full-scale production of the new i30 will commence towards the middle of next year and the first units should find their way onto our market during the last quarter of 2012.
Hyundai has not released any details regarding engines or specifications for the new i30, but there is a chance that the engine line-up could include the uprated Gamma 1,6-litre (96 kW/156 N.m) and the all-new 1,8-litre Nu Multipoint Fuel Injected (110 kW/178 N.m) four-cylinder petrol engines recently utilised in the new Elantra.
