GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: New Hyundai i20 revealed

The 2021 Hyundai i20 is here!

Well, not quite and it won’t be coming to Australia – except perhaps one day in peppier i20 N hot hatch form – but the all-new light hatch has been officially revealed ahead of its global unveiling at the Geneva motor show in two weeks.

Earlier this month, Hyundai previewed the third-generation i20 with official sketches, but these studio images of the real thing show it will look kinda looks like a squashed up version of the latest Hyundai Elantra sedan but with a full-length LED strip across the rear-end and sharper headlights that make it look more like the i30 hatch.

Also echoing Hyundai’s new ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ design theme, the rear has been completely redesigned too and the new hatch looks to get a blacked-out roof, side mirrors, door pillars and sections of the rear tailgate.

Only a design sketch of the interior has been revealed, but it shows the next i20 will get a totally new dashboard, on top of which will be a large central touch-screen that nestles against the digital instrument binnacle, forming a pair of (optional) 10.25-inch screens.

Other options will include 10 bright paint colours, Black Mono and Black & Grey interior trims, and LED ambient cabin lighting.

A new-generation Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) system with pedestrian and cyclist detection also marks a dramatic step up from both previous i20 models dating back to 2008 – and a string of budget-priced Hyundai micro-hatches before them, including the Getz and the original Excel that launched the Korean brand Down Under in the 1980s.

Other advances will include wireless phone charging, smartphone mirroring, a Bose audio system and new 17-inch alloy wheels.

The new Hyundai i20 is 24mm lower, 30mm wider and 5mm longer than before, and rides on a 10mm longer wheelbase. Hyundai says boot space is up by 25 litres, to 351 overall.

Hyundai Australia has already stated the new Venue small SUV will remain its entry-level model following the axing of the Accent, but it hasn’t yet ruled out the yet-to-be-revealed i20 N that will rival B-segment hot hatches including the upcoming Ford Fiesta ST, Renault Clio RS and Volkswagen Polo GTI.

If it arrives here, the first Hyundai i20 N should be powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine producing outputs of about 150kW/300Nm, via a six-speed manual or dual-clutch transmission.

For the record, while it will also be produced in Korea with a 1.2-litre MPI engine, in markets like the UK the mainstream 2020 Hyundai i20 will be offered only with a 75kW 1.0-litre T-GDi engine with 48-volt mild-hybrid system.

The all-new Hyundai i20 will be produced for Europe at Hyundai’s production plant in Izmit, Turkey.