SPY PICS: New Hyundai i40 sedan caught in the open

It has been suggested (and rightly so, it would seem) that Hyundai's Le Fil Rouge concept coupe featured at the 2018 Geneva motor show was a pointer to styling directions for future products from the Korean car manufacturer.

As if in confirmation of this, these recently-snapped spy photos show what is purported to be the next generation of Hyundai's family-size i40 sedan and wagon.

Elements of the drastically sporty concept car are clearly evident on the heavily-clad, four-door test mule captured testing recently at Germany's Nurburgring.

These design cues include the distinctive front-to-rear swage line running just below the side windows and the smaller horizontal indent lines accentuating the trailing and leading edges of the front and rear wheel-arches, as well as the general shaping of the under-grille area.

Although some sources are saying the next Hyundai i40 will amount to little more than a facelift, a closer examination of the test mule suggests otherwise.

Certainly the overall design language hints that the next i40 will be an amalgam of the current car and the Le Fil Rouge show car, but there are certain things that suggest otherwise.

One example is the slight downward curve in the side window sills, contrasting with the upward curve of the current model. The number plate has moved from the boot to the lower bumpers too, although that doesn't really mean a lot in facelift terms.

There seems to be no suggestion that the current i40's underpinnings, including and engine and gearbox configurations, will change dramatically.

In Australia, the i40 is limited to two engines – a 121kW/203Nm direct-injection four-cylinder with a conventional six-speed auto, and a 104kW/340Nm 1.7-litre turbo-diesel driving through a seven-speed dry-clutch auto.

Undoubtedly all will become clear when the new i40 is launched officially – supposedly some time in 2019.

In the meantime, the family-size Hyundai contributes minimally to the company's fortunes: In Australia, it rated as the seventh-best selling vehicle from the Korean manufacturer in 2017, and was ninth in the mid-size segment.