Official renderings of the upcoming Hyundai i20 have been revealed after numerous leaks of the second-generation B-segment fighter from Korea have surfaced on the web.
Designed at Hyundai's European design centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany, the new i20 will feature Hyundai's more mature and refined "Fluidic Sculpture 2.0" design language that has already appeared on the latest Genesis and Sonata. The result is a car that looks cleaner and more angular than the current model while still remaining recognisably Hyundai.
The company says that the new i20 will have a "powerful stance" thanks to a long bonnet and generous shape, and as we have seen in the leaks, the front features large swept-back headlights connected by a slim front grille. There is also a large hexagonal air intake above a smaller U-shaped inlet.
At the rear, there are slim tail light clusters and an i30-esque rear bumper treatment that also incorporates the number plate recess. The i20 is not immune to the blacked-out C-pillar trend, which the company says visually accentuates the car's length.
While Europeans will have to wait until the Paris Motor Show in October to see the new i20 in person, Hyundai's Indian arm has announced that the car, badged as the Elite i20 over there (we presume this means that the current i20 will continue to be sold alongside the new model), will in fact make its debut on August 11, with the order books already open.
The company's two-pronged approach to launching the new i20 is interesting to say the least, and echoes the introduction of the i10 in both regions. It remains to be seen if the Indian-market Elite i20 features any sheet metal changes compared to the Euro-market i20. This would follow in the footsteps of the Indian-market Grand i10 that is different to the Euro-market i10, with a longer wheelbase.
The Hyundai i20 was never sold in Malaysia, but with the market starting to clamour for attractive, well-specced B-segment models, maybe Hyundai Sime Darby could make the case for it over here. So, should this new model battle it out with the Honda Jazz, Ford Fiesta and Kia Rio for our hearts and minds?
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