Hyundai has revealed its new i30 at the Frankfurt Motor Show ahead of its on sale date in the UK early next year.

The new five-door hatchback showcases the Korean brand’s latest design direction and will be fitted with a choice of four engines with a total of six power options and CO2 emissions below 100 g/km thanks to an upgraded, 1.6-litre diesel unit.

Hyundai believes the new i30 will help accelerate its European growth, helped by a recovering automotive market.

Industry analysts forecast the mainstream C-segment will grow by 7% over the next three years, reaching sales of 2.4 million vehicles per year by 2014.

Hyundai is planning to sell on average over 120,000 units of the new i30 per year during the car’s lifecycle, capturing a larger market share of around 5% and challenging established competitors.

Allan Rushforth, senior vice president and COO of Hyundai Motor Europe, said: “We expect the new-generation i30 to play a significant role in developing our sales and brand image in Europe, taking on the leading vehicles in the C-segment and joining the all-new i40 as a brand ambassador and quality benchmark for Hyundai.”

Driving fleet growth

Hyundai forecasts approximately 50% of the 120,000 sales in Europe to come from the fleet sector.
Running costs will be reduced and it believes its Five Year Triple Care package will be the point of differentiation with other manufacturers on the fleet choice list.