Hyundai unveils i30, will it make it to India?

Hyundai has revealed the first photo of the new-generation i30, ahead of the car’s world premiere at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) next week, showing an exciting new look for the company’s best-selling C-segment hatchback.

Hyundai expects the new-generation i30 to build on the remarkable success of the original model – the company’s first car to be launched with the ‘i’ prefix, introducing a new nomenclature and heralding a new era for Hyundai in Europe.

The original i30 was also the first model to be designed and engineered in Europe, the first to be produced at the company’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in the Czech Republic, and the first Hyundai car to receive five stars from Euro NCAP.

After its July 2007 launch, the i30 went on to increase its sales in Europe every year, attracting 115,000 buyers in 2010 – the highest-ever annual sales figure for an individual Hyundai model in Europe – and achieving total sales of more than 350,000 units up to mid-2011.

Designed and engineered at the Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany, the new-generation i30represents a further evolution of the unique Hyundai form language, ‘fluidic sculpture’, displaying the company’s distinctive design DNA.

Thomas Bürkle, Chief Designer at Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre, commented: “The new-generation i30 is recognisable thanks to the Hyundai family face with its signature hexagonal-shaped front grille and the jewel-like design of the headlamps, together with distinctive daytime running lights. These lights present an angular shape within a more softly-edged recess, adding a strong personality to the vehicle, as well as a sense of refinement and luxury.”

“Through the profile of the new generation i30, a strong character line runs over the front and rear wheelarches all the way to the tail lamps. A softer, lower character line rises up the car’s flank creating a play of light and shadow – a fundamental feature of fluidic sculpture,” Thomas Bürkle concluded.

Allan Rushforth, Senior Vice President and COO of Hyundai Motor Europe, commented, “We expect the new-generation i30 to appeal to young, progressive buyers who want a car that not only performs well but looks great too. In this way, the new-generation i30 will contribute to future sales success, growing brand awareness and improving perceptions of Hyundai among European consumers.”

“The car has been designed to take on the leading vehicles in the C-segment and join the all-new i40 as a quality benchmark for Hyundai. Our ultimate customer care package, Five Year Triple Care, will be a valuable point of differentiation for the new-generation i30 in its highly competitive class,” Allan Rushforth added.

The award-winning Five Year Triple Care package provides five years of unlimited-mileage warranty, five years of roadside assistance, and five years of vehicle health checks.

India launch?

The Hyundai will unlikely launch the i30 in India as the demand for large hacthbacks is still not there.