SPY PICS: Another facelift for Hyundai i30 N confirmed

There’s another update on the way for the Hyundai i30 N hot hatch and it should be here in time for Christmas, meaning order books for the lauded performance vehicle will eventually reopen despite the current generation i30 N now being in its seventh year of production.

A facelifted prototype draped in thick camouflage has just been spotted testing in Korea ahead of what’s been reported as an October reveal for the second facelift of the PD-series Hyundai i30 range.

Images of the disguised performance variant were posted to the shorts_car Instagram page yesterday and suggest the updated i30 N will take on an even more aggressive demeanor with an angrier bumper design, more red accents, i30 Sedan N-style side skirts and a tweaked rear-end.

The prototype seen here is rolling on the same 19-inch forged alloys as the current model and looks to have retained the current model’s front lighting signature.

Hyundai Germany was the first to reveal another facelift was coming for the wider i30 hatch line-up, which should see the popular small car continue on until mid-decade, when strict new Euro 7 emission regulations come into effect.

However, carsales understands Australia may not get the updated range because our i30 hatches are sourced from Korea while the European versions are produced in the Czech Republic.

The obvious exception to the rule is the flagship i30 N, which is produced exclusively in Hyundai’s European plant, meaning the raucous track toy will be the only facelifted version offered here.

Rumour has it the update will bring some refreshed exterior and interior styling and a technology upgrade of some description, but very little in terms of the i30 N’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol powertrain which presently fires out 206kW/392Nm.

Odds are the firecracker engine will be carried over unchanged, along its familiar six-speed manual and eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions.

Hyundai Australia is yet to confirm the facelifted N for our market, but carsales understands the refreshed hot hatch is due to arrive here in December and could possibly be launched alongside the facelifted i30 Sedan N.

Order books for the i30 N hatch closed at the start of February amid huge delivery times spanning more than 12 months, ala the smaller Hyundai i20 N, and the Korean brand said they won’t reopen until the “production allocation catches up with the order bank”.

Customers with unfilled orders as of the facelifted model’s local launch should be prepared for a price increase of some type, given Hyundai hasn’t price-protected outstanding N orders from previous increases.

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