Hyundai i30 facelift just weeks away

Hyundai's i30 will get a fresh face and a twin-clutch automatic transmission for the first time when a facelifted MY15 model arrives Down Under next month.

Due on sale in Aussie dealers in March, the updated i30 hatch will team Hyundai's latest seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with an upgraded 100kW 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine.

Also more efficient, but slightly less powerful than before, will be updated 107kW 1.8- and 124kW 2.0-litre petrol engines (the latter for the i30 SR), matched with carry-over six-speed manual and automatic transmissions.

Performance fans, however, may lament the fact that Europe's new 1.6-litre turbo-petrol powered i30 Turbo model will not arrive as part of Hyundai Australia's upgraded i30 range next month.

The facelifted version of Hyundai's second-generation i30 was revealed in December and will make its European debut at the Geneva motor show within two weeks.

North America's version, dubbed the Elantra GT, was revealed at the Chicago show earlier this month and also features a new front bumper, grille, headlights and other cosmetic and technical changes.

So far the new i30 Turbo warm hatch – which pumps out 137kW and 265Nm from its turbocharged direct-injection 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, matched only to a six-speed manual transmission – is confirmed only for Europe in both three- and five-door form.

Currently, Australia's (five-door) i30 hatchback is produced in Korea, with the i30 Tourer (wagon) imported from Europe.

There are two other petrol engines in the European i30 range: 74kW 1.4-litre and 88kW 1.6-litre units. The latter is the only petrol engine in the range offered with the new seven-speed DCT, which together with low rolling-resisting tyres, engine idle-stop and active front aero flaps helps reduce fuel consumption.

Despite the car being just weeks away, exact specifications of Australia's MY15 i30 range are not yet confirmed.

Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA) spokesperson Bill Thomas told motoring.com.au that in addition to next month's facelift, the i30 – like the Sonata -- is likely get a second update this calendar year.

However, it's unclear if revisions to the i30 model range later in the year involve technical upgrades across the line-up, changes only for European sourced models like the wagon, or even additional models like an SR Turbo.

Thomas did not rule out the turbo-petrol i30's release here, saying only that: "It's not in our current planning".

The key to HMCA's plans for a higher performance i30 could be the future of the brand's N Performance sub-brand.

A powered up turbo-petrol i30 is the likely candidate for the N division's first production car, followed closely by a warmed over Tucson. But timelines for the debut of the sub-brand are still "fluid".

Hyundai Europe 's vice-president of marketing, Jochem Sengpiehl, told motoring.com.au: "We have to find the right strategy [for N Performance].

"[The product plan] is not finished and is still under construction. You must give us more time," he said.

Insiders say Hyundai is keen to join the hot hatch marketplace as it is seen as key to building the brand in Europe. In late December the company confirmed it had poached BMW M's former Vice President of Engineering Albert Biermann to head up its performance car development.

Equally, Hyundai's first hard-core hot hatch could be the i20 N, based on the new-generation i20 that remains unconfirmed for Australian release and producing around 186kW to trumping the likes of Volkswagen's Polo GTI.

For the record, Europe's new i30 Turbo is the most powerful version of the Korean brand's top-selling model in Australia, eclipsing the Australian-engineered i30 SR (currently a 129kW/209Nm proposition).

However, its outputs are lower than the same engine in the Veloster SR Turbo and Kia pro_cee'd GT (both 150kW/265Nm) and, strangely, based on Hyundai's claimed 0-100km/h times the i30 Turbo is slower than the i30 SR (eight seconds versus 7.7).

The i30 Turbo also gets a sports suspension tune, 18-inch alloy wheels, more direct steering and an interior fit-out to match, including sports front seats, a flashy instrument panel, red detailing throughout and metal accented pedals.

Priced from $20,990, the outgoing i30 was the third best-selling small car in Australia last year. Combined with the Elantra sedan, Hyundai was within about 3000 sales of the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3, Australia's top-selling cars overall.

The facelifted i30 is the next new model release in a busy year for Hyundai in Australia. Last week it staged the world debut of its all-new Tucson mid-size SUV and the all-new Sonata mid-size sedan went on sale Down Under earlier this month.

The ix35-replacing Tucson will arrive here in July – soon after an updated i40 mid-size sedan and wagon and a facelifted Veloster coupe. Revised iMax people-mover and iLoad van models should arrive in late 2015.