Hyundai Shows Off i30 Ahead of Paris Debut

Hyundai takes the wraps off its restyled i30 hatchback (Elantra GT in some markets) for media in Seoul and Frankfurt today, just ahead of the car’s public debut at the Paris auto show later this month.

“The New Generation i30 is the most important car for Hyundai in Europe, supporting our objective to become the No.1 Asian automotive brand,” says Hyundai Motor Europe Chief Operating Officer Thomas Schmid. “With the new-generation i30 we want to continue our success story and achieve further organic growth in the years to come.”

The model underwent rigorous testing throughout Europe and on the 13-mile (21-km) Nurburgring Nordschliefe track in Germany.

In Korea, the revised i30 will be offered with three new downsized turbo engines, a 1.4L T-GDI, 1.6L T-GDI and 1.6L U2e-VGT diesel mill. In Europe, three gasoline engines will be available, including a 1.0L 3-cyl. and a 1.4L turbo 4-cyl. Also offered will be the 1.6L turbodiesel with three power output ratings.

The body uses 53% advanced-high-strength steel produced by Hyundai, double the amount applied on the current i30, making it 62 lbs. (28 kg) lighter with 22% improved rigidity.

The revised i30 has a MacPherson-strut front and multi-link rear suspension with performance-oriented dampers. Steering has been enhanced and engineers say response directness has been increased 10%.

Among the safety features are emergency braking, front-collision warning, smart cruise control, blindspot detection, rear-cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping and high-beam assist.

The new-generation i30 is badly needed in Korea, where sales of the current car have nosedived in anticipation of the upcoming model. For the first eight months, i30 domestic sales reached only 1,064 units, a 55% decline from like-2015.

The vehicle is produced in Ulsan, Korea, for domestic sales and some export markets as either the i30 or Elantra GT. This year, 34,558 of the Ulsan-produced units were exported in the first eight months.

The car also is built at Hyundai’s Nosovice, Czech Republic, plant for the European market. European sales of the current-generation i30 totaled 49,105 units through August.

Meanwhile, Hyundai is scrambling to decide when to launch the new Azera/Grandeur model in Korea, but is said to be focusing on November. Expectations are the new vehicle also will go on sale as the Azera in North America in November, as will sister company Kia’s Cadenza, which has been on the market in Korea as the K7 since February.