Paris show: Next-gen Hyundai i20 revealed

HYUNDAI has unveiled its European designed and developed next-generation i20 hatch ahead of its debut at the Paris motor show in October and local showroom arrival in 2015.

The South Korean brand said in a statement that the new i20 was designed to appeal to a wider audience, with Hyundai attempting to position itself as a “truly European automaker.” An all-new car from the platform up, the new i20's wheelbase is 45mm longer than the outgoing model at 2570mm long which translates to more legroom for rear passengers.

Hyundai says the combined front and rear legroom is a class-leading 1892mm, while boot capacity has also increased by 31 litres for a total of 326 litres with the seats up.

Refinement, comfort and technology are three areas Hyundai says the European market values highly, so the cabin also gains a panoramic sunroof, depending on the specification level, and new tech in the form of an integrated rear-view camera and LED lighting.

The i20 was styled at Hyundai Motor’s Design Centre Europe in Russelsheim, Germany, as was the current-generation model, but the latest iteration carries the car-maker's Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design language.

The lower grille is wider and taller with a gloss-black colour and a chrome-effect frame, while the thin grille above it housing the badge is now horizontal and the headlights have been swept back Veloster-style.

Below them the fog-lights have been reshaped and housed in the lower grille which floats above a sharper front lip.

The car itself is 4035mm in length, 40mm longer than the outgoing model and the character line running above the door handles continues straight through to the tail-lights, which have taken on a ‘boomerang’ shape.

The glasshouse is smaller and the gloss black C-pillar creates a roofline reminiscent of Audi’s A1.

A representative from Hyundai Australia said the car will go on sale here in 2015, but was unable to confirm more precise timing.

Powertrains are also yet to be confirmed. Currently Hyundai offers just one engine choice in the i20 range, a 1.4-litre 74kW/136Nm four cylinder petrol unit matched with a six-speed manual gearbox or four-speed automatic transmission.

Hyundai said the price of the new i20 is also yet to be determined, so it is unclear whether the new model will vary greatly from the current pricing which kicks off from $15,590, excluding on-road costs, for the three-door Active and tops out at $17,590 for the five-door Elite.

Sourcing for the Australian-spec i20 is still yet to be determined, with the car-maker currently planning whether to take the Indian-built version or the Turkish-built hatchback.

Earlier this month Hyundai Motor Company Australia public relations general manager Bill Thomas told GoAuto that the company was still yet to decide the sourcing for the new car.

“At that end of the market we'd need to be sharp on price, so given the car will be sourced from Turkey if we take it, exchange rates and shipping costs come into play. That makes it more complex,” he said at the time.

“At this stage, we'd definitely prefer to take the European car rather than its Indian sister. Nothing's ruled out right now, though.”