Photo: Automedia
The European B-hatch segment is crowded right now with lots of fresh models, most of which are best sellers for their particular brands. Slightly cheaper than their bigger C brothers, the Renault Clio 4, Peugeot 208, Ford Fiesta and VW Polo have all made a name for themselves.
Besides the Opel Corsa, Hyundai's i20 is probably the oldest of the big players in the segment. The current model was updated in 2012, receiving slightly more efficient engines and a new look, but the lack of a small turbo engine and upmarket features are hurting sales.
Hyundai engineers are currently working on a replacement, which we believe will be ready for Paris in October. No less than three prototypes for the next-gen i20 can be seen in our latest spy photos. A small increase in size is visible from the current generation model. Hyundai is doing this in order to distance the i20 from the new i10, which has also grown in size.
There are a few subtle differences between the prototypes, as one of them appears to have top or mid spec, with large alloys, parking sensors, LED indicators in the body-colored mirrors and LED daytime running lights.
Besides the familiar Kia/Hyundai naturally aspirated engines we could be seeing the first application of the 1.0-liter T-GDI, a downsized turbo engine to rival Ford's EcoBoost powered Fiesta or the Clio's 0.9 TCe.
Wearing German number plates is a good reminder that this is in fact not a Korean car, but one that's developed by German engineers to European standards. Every Kia or Hyundai fan will of course remember Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn checking out the i30 at 2011' Frankfurt Auto Show. Let's hope Hyundai can manage a repeat of that performance!
Hyundai engineers are currently working on a replacement, which we believe will be ready for Paris in October. No less than three prototypes for the next-gen i20 can be seen in our latest spy photos. A small increase in size is visible from the current generation model. Hyundai is doing this in order to distance the i20 from the new i10, which has also grown in size.
There are a few subtle differences between the prototypes, as one of them appears to have top or mid spec, with large alloys, parking sensors, LED indicators in the body-colored mirrors and LED daytime running lights.
Besides the familiar Kia/Hyundai naturally aspirated engines we could be seeing the first application of the 1.0-liter T-GDI, a downsized turbo engine to rival Ford's EcoBoost powered Fiesta or the Clio's 0.9 TCe.
Wearing German number plates is a good reminder that this is in fact not a Korean car, but one that's developed by German engineers to European standards. Every Kia or Hyundai fan will of course remember Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn checking out the i30 at 2011' Frankfurt Auto Show. Let's hope Hyundai can manage a repeat of that performance!
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