New Hyundai i30 (2012) revealed ahead of Frankfurt debut

2012 Hyundai i30 Revealed

The 2012 Hyundai i30 was teased last month with a sketch, ahead of a debut at Frankfurt 2011. Now we get more detail and photos of the new i30.

A couple of weeks ago we were teased with a sketch of the new Hyundai i30 ahead of a planned debut at Frankfurt 2011. But now Hyundai has decided to throw out a few photos of the new i30, and a bit more detail, to keep interest piqued .

Looking, certainly from some angles, like a smaller i40 – which is certainly not a criticism – the 2012 i30 brings Hyundai’s Golf-sized offering very much up to date.

There’s a big hexagonal grill at the front and the same angular headlights we see on the i40, complete with LED running lights.

The much more aggressive – and appealing – front leads the eye back, via pronounced lines running the length of the i30, to the well-formed rump, complete with wrap-round tail lights. An altogether more purposeful-looking effort than the current i30.

Inside the i30 follows where the i40 lead, with much more space than the outgoing i30 and higher quality materials too. Standard equipment is expected to be above average.

Hyundai say they are interested in building a good-looking range of stylish cars that are economical and affordable. So don’t expect fireworks under the bonnet and expect the focus to be on the i30 Blue, with 80mpg+ and sub-90g/km – just like the 2012 Focus ECOnetic.

Which is a bit of a shame. We’d love to see the 2012 i30 with a performance halo, but it’s hard to criticise a company that has changed perceptions of its product so radically in just a few short years for missing a trick with a halo performance version.

Never mind, it’ll come – eventually.