2012 Hyundai i30: VW Golf Rival Spied Inside and Out

There's been a lot of confusion lately about the spy pictures of the next Hyundai i30. To elaborate, many readers on various websites and forums supported that the scoops may be showing a Kia. Thanks to some additional work from our spy photographers, we can now put the brand speculations to rest. What you see here is indeed a Hyundai, with this being proved by the brand's logo on the alloy wheels as well as the typical Hyundai styling of the interior.

Okay, so we've established it's a Hyundai, but could it be the new five-door Accent? Well, we doubt it because we saw the new Accent hatch at last month's Montreal Auto Show in Canada and it looks quite different inside and out. So that leaves us with the i30 (and yes, our spy photographer assured us it was larger than the...i20).

With that out of the way, let's see what we can find out from these spy photos. Although the prototype is carefully bagged up, it's pretty clear that the new i30 will be a sleeker proposal to look at with an edgier exterior design than the current model.

As mentioned previously, our scoopers also managed to snap the first photos of the i30's interior and as you can see, the styling is very close to the Veloster coupe. The dashboard has swoopy lines darting to and fro, a pronounced center console and a pair of deeply set instrument gauges. However, instead of the Veloster's three-spoke steering wheel, the five-door hatchback gets a more conventional four-spoke version.

What lies under the hood remains a mystery for now, but buyers should expect a choice of four-cylinder diesel and gasoline engines including the new 1.6-liter petrol with direct-injection and around 140-ponies.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

READ MORE - 2012 Hyundai i30: VW Golf Rival Spied Inside and Out

SCOOP: Hyundai Readying Veloster Coupe to Take on VW Scirocco and Honda CR-Z

These are the latest spy pictures (see the scoop video here) of Hyundai's upcoming compact coupe based on the 2007 Veloster Concept. The South Korean company's answer to the VW Scirocco and Honda CR-Z hybrid will act as a replacement to the Tiburon, otherwise simply known as the Coupe, and it will be offered with naturally aspirated and turbocharged engines.

The new car that may or may not keep the Veloster nameplate, will most likely make its world premiere as early as September at the Paris motorshow and go on sale on both sides of the Atlantic early next year.

While the production model is expected to retain much of the Veloster concept's styling including its shooting brake-like roofline, it won't be a two door model. Instead, Hyundai has opted for an asymmetric body with two doors on the passenger side of the car and a single longer door on the driver side.

Read more »

READ MORE - SCOOP: Hyundai Readying Veloster Coupe to Take on VW Scirocco and Honda CR-Z

SPY VIDEO: 2012 Hyundai Veloster Coupe Caught Testing in Europe

A prototype model of Hyundai's long-awaited Veloster sport hatch that will essentially act as a replacement for the Tiburon, otherwise known as the Coupe, across the pond and other markets, was spotted running around public roads in Europe.

We're not sure if Hyundai will keep the "Veloster" name of the concept car, but we do know that the South Korean automaker's proposal will compete head on with other low roof sport hatchbacks like the VW Scirocco and the more recent Honda CR-Z hybrid.

From what we can tell, the production version will remain close to the 2007 Veloster Concept in all but one aspect; as you can see in the video after the jump, the road-going model features an asymmetric body with a longer door on the driver's side. This could indicate the presence of a second, suicide-style, door on the passenger's side - think MINI Clubman.

Read more »

READ MORE - SPY VIDEO: 2012 Hyundai Veloster Coupe Caught Testing in Europe

SCOOP: 2011 Hyundai Genesis Sedan Receives Minor Updates, Including BMW-Like Gearshifter

The Genesis sedan has only been out in the market for two years, but Hyundai is getting ready to present the 2011MY with some barely noticeable styling upgrades in its home market.

Scooped here in South Korea completely undisguised, the 2011 Genesis sedan appears to get a reworked front bumper with newly styled air ducts and trim, more prominent side skirts, a chunkier chrome strip above the license plate and a new rear bumper with reshaped exhaust tips.

Read more »

READ MORE - SCOOP: 2011 Hyundai Genesis Sedan Receives Minor Updates, Including BMW-Like Gearshifter

2011 Hyundai Accent or Elantra Spied Completely Undisguised

Here we go again: as was the case with the spy photos we showed you back in February, this single picture of a small Hyundai sedan snagged without any camouflage somewhere in South Korea has us wondering if it's the next generation Accent (marketed as the Verna in Korea) or the Elantra.

Either way, the compact-size four-door saloon looks like a mini-Sonata sharing the same "Fluidic Sculpture" design with its larger brethren. Apparently, Hyundai has learned its German lessons well - and by that we mean the "one design fits all size mantra".

As always, you can have your say in the comments section below.

Read more »

READ MORE - 2011 Hyundai Accent or Elantra Spied Completely Undisguised

SPY SHOTS: Is this the 2011 Hyundai Elantra or the New Accent Sedan?

Most of the times we receive spy photos from our partners, we don't have any questions or doubts about the type and make of the vehicles that we're dealing with. But once in a while, some scoops baffle us.

These spy shots were labeled as the next generation 2011 Hyundai Elantra. And while we have no doubt that it's a Hyundai, we are not at all convinced that what we're looking at here is the new Elantra. In fact, we believe that there's a possibility it may be the saloon version of the next generation Accent.

Evidently, you're wondering what made us consider the new Accent.

Well, compared to other spy shots of the Elantra here in the U.S., this camouflaged prototype that was spied in Germany appears to be more compact in dimensions and it features a less swooping roofline. Furthermore, the shape of the window frame at the rear door is also different.

A third option is that this may be the Euro-spec Elantra, but for the time being, we're leaning towards the Accent.

You can compare these photos with spy shots of the Elantra from other sites by clicking the links below, and tell us what you think.

Accent or Elantra, one thing is for sure: the styling of the prototype model is clearly inspired by the larger Sonata, and that should be something from a design standpoint.

2011 Hyundai Elantra Scoop Links: Autoblog, Worldcarfans, Edmunds

READ MORE - SPY SHOTS: Is this the 2011 Hyundai Elantra or the New Accent Sedan?

SCOOP: Mystery Hyundai Crossover Model Looks Like Production Version of HED-5 Concept

Our man with the long lens captured this unmarked Hyundai prototype in disguise parked at the Korean automaker's European headquarters in Germany.

It's obvious that it's a compact crossover / MPV model, while the manufacture's label on the windshield reveals that it's powered by Hyundai's 1.7-liter VGT diesel engine that develops 117 horsepower in the ix35 (Euro Tuscon), but which model is it?

Well, the spy shots had us baffled for a while but after careful observation of the prototype's size (as seen in the pictures), shape, profile and certain details such as the styling of the window line, our best guess would be the production version of the Korean firm's HED-5 i-Mode concept that unveiled at the Geneva Salon in 2008.

The HED-5 i-Mode was also presented at the Los Angeles show the same year with Hyundai announcing then that the crossover has been approved for production with a six-seater model to within the next couple of years.

We've enclosed photos of the HED-5 i-Mode below so you can compare them to the prototype model. Take a look at them and tell us what you think.

____________________________________________________________________

HED-5 i-MODE CONCEPT

READ MORE - SCOOP: Mystery Hyundai Crossover Model Looks Like Production Version of HED-5 Concept