Spyshots: 2012 Hyundai i30

The new Hyundai i30 that most likely will be introduced next year was recently caught by our spy photographers in a few spyshots while testing. Though still heavily camouflaged, we can tell that the cars will feature a significantly redesigned nose and grille that better follow the company’s Fluidic Sculpture philosophy.

Our sneaky car paparazzi shot the 2012 i30 doing some winter testing outside the Korean automaker's facility in northern Scandinavia, together with its twin sister, the Kia Cee’d. It is hidden under a mass of camouflage and electronic sensors, but we can still catch glimpses of the supple new design trends.

First off, the elongated horizontal lines of the car are European-izing the i30's design, while the rear lights are higher up and feature a new LED design.

Regarding the engine, it is most likely for the model to integrate a 1.6-liter gasoline unit with around 122 hp and 155 Nm of torque. Most of the current range of petrol and CRDi diesel engines are also expected to be carried over. Additionally, in line with the recent green trend, the South Koreans may introduce a hybrid powertrain for the new 2012 i30, in order to provide an extended range for the various demand.

We expect more information and details to be available about the car soon, probably in the form of some sketches plus a few extra details officially revealed by the manufacturer.

Hyundai is also hard at work developing a mini-MPV version that could use the U-II 1.7 liter diesel engine that was first shown with the ix35 in Frankfurt in September 2009. This should be based on the HED-5 Concept first shown in Geneva 2008.