SPY PICS: Hyundai ix35

It was only last year that Hyundai facelifted the current ix35 compact SUV, breathing new life into the car with improved ride, handling and features. But already the company is working on the car's replacement, spied here undoing high-speed testing at the Nurburgring in Germany.

Originally launched in 2010, the car's current lifecycle of around six years would put this new model on sale as early as 2015, and even with camouflage and psychedelic paint work it's clear the new model will be a more contemporary looking compact SUV.

Riding on fancy new wheels, the car's body appears to be more squared off than the current ix35's.

Although it's covered in camo gear, it's clear the car will have a different looking front end design, the swoopy curves expected to be replaced with a more angular, sporty visage, potentially similar to the ix25 model shown at the 2014 Beijing motor show in April.

Shorter in length than the facelifted Hyundai Santa Fe recently spied, the new ix35 will be powered by a range of different petrol and diesel engines. The vehicle spied here by Automedia shows twin trapezoidal exhaust pipes, and could be powered by Hyundai's direct-injected 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engines, worth 150kW/265Nm.

Since the Hyundai SUV seen here is fitted with sporty wheels, tyres and a body kit, and is undergoing testing on the demanding Nurburgring, we could see a sportier attitude when the new model arrives in 12 to 18 months time.

– with Automedia