New Hyundai i30 (2012) previewed ahead of Frankfurt

Hyundai has released the first image of the next generation Hyundai i30 – expected to launch in early 2012 – ahead of its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

It’s easy to think of the Hyundai i30 as part of the new wave of Euro-centric Hyundai’s. But it’s now four years old and starting to look like ‘Old’ Hyundai, so we’re to be treated to a new Hyundai i30 at Frankfurt – destined to launch in early 2012.

That said, the new i30 is not going to be a radical departure from the current i30, which has been a decent success for Hyundai. Dimensions are expected to be much the same, but the new i30 will take on the Hyundai ‘Fluidic Sculpture’ we’ve seen in cars like the i40 and ix35.

We’re also getting the modern Hyundai mantra about the i30 being “Designed and engineered specifically for European customers at the Hyundai Technical Centre in Russelheim, Germany.” So we can be sure the design touch will be sure and familiar and the new i30 should cope with our broken and pitted roads without snapping fragile spines.

Visually we’re going to get Hyundai’s hexagonal grill flanked by jewel-like headlights and a more cohesive and fluid shape than the current i30. That all makes for a more aggressive stance and a bolder statement on-road. A lot like the new i40, in fact. Sporty may be taking it too far, but dynamic would probably fit.

It seems unlikely we’re going to get a halo performance model of the i30, although at some point Hyundai are bound to bite the halo performance bullet and take on cars like the Focus RS and Golf R.

Instead we’re likely to see a similar range of engines to the current i30 – 1.4 and 1.6 petrol and the 1.6 CRDi – and you probably wouldn’t lose your shirt if you bet on an i30 BLUE with sub 100g/km CO2 before long. And an Estate or three.

Allan Rushforth, Hyundai’s European boss, said:

We expect this next-generation i30 to play a significant role in developing our brand image in Europe and strengthen the vehicle’s position as our best-seller in Europe.  Since 2007, the name ‘i30’ has become synonymous with ‘quality’, ‘reliability’ and ‘low emissions’ in Europe, and we hope that, amongst others, the term ‘emotional appeal and style’ will be added to the list with the introduction of this dynamic new model.

Under our brand slogan ‘New Thinking. New Possibilities’, our European team of designers have sculpted a car which truly looks at home on European roads thanks to its bold and confident appearance.  We are very excited about revealing the car for the first time in Frankfurt next month.

Lots of PR waffle in there, but he’s right; the 2012 Hyundai i30 will be a strong contender.