Developed and penned in Europe, the next i30 will usher in the next evolution of Hyundai’s design language. And while the teaser shots do a good job of hiding the i30’s overall design, we can tell that the hatchback’s front end is characterized by a hexagonal grille — called a cascading grille in Hyundai-speak — with a thick chrome frame, swept-back headlights, and slanted LED daytime running lights integrated into the bumper. Judging by the teasers, it wears a much more refined design than the current model.
For enthusiasts, the most interesting member of the next-gen i30 lineup is a hot hatch developed to fight in the same arena as the vaunted Volkswagen GTI. Power will be provided by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 260 horsepower and 228 pound-feet of torque, according to Motor 1. Front-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission will come standard, and a dual-clutch automatic transmission will be added to the lineup a little later in the production run.
Read more: Hyundai shows off its wild side with another mid-engined concept
Digital Trends will be on location in the French capital to bring you live images of the next-generation Hyundai i30 as soon as it’s unveiled. The model displayed in Paris will be Euro-spec, but it’s not too unreasonable to assume that the Elantra GT will debut shortly after at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
The hot-rodded i30 N will be the first full-blown member of Hyundai’s new, performance-focused N sub-brand. We’ll have to wait until next year to see it in the metal, however, as only the regular model will greet the show-going public in Paris.
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