SPY PICS: New Hyundai i30 busted in Oz

Hyundai's current, GD-series i30 hatchback has been on sale since 2011. Given the previous model's five-year life-cycle, it's obvious the popular hatch is due for replacement. Add to this the arrival of the all-new Elantra small sedan, and it's a given that what we're looking at here is the next-generation PD-series i30.

Due to be revealed for the first time in Frankfurt on September 7, before its world public debut at the Paris motor show later this month and its Australian release early next year, the all-new 2017 i30 has a more Tucson-looking nose with tail-lights similar to the current i30 (albeit with the reverse and indicator lamps set lower in the assembly).

As these images show, the new i30 will arrive with a slightly longer and sportier profile, adding more space between the C and D pillars. The larger cargo area will give the i30 a silhouette similar to that of Audi's A3 Sportback, and that theme appears to be replicated inside.

Beneath the covers we see a floating centre screen over a horizontally layered dash treatment; the centre stack boasts dual-zone climate-control and a deep storage area with twin 12-volt outlets, USB and auxiliary audio connectivity. It sits ahead of a newly sculpted console, the buttons flanking the gearshift to indicate the installation of an idle-stop system, as well as heated and ventilated front seats.

Like the latest Elantra, the i30 should receive independent (multi-link) rear suspension and a new turbocharged petrol engine. For the i30 this is believed to be a downsized 1.4-litre four-cylinder offering 103kW (-4kW) and 212Nm (+37Nm).

It's anticipated that the 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine (100kW/260Nm) will remain available, while a punchy circa-200kW 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four will be fitted to the first i30 N hot hatch, which will go head to head with the Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Transmission choices are expected to include six-speed manual and seven-speed dual-clutch units.

For Australia, the next generation of i30 will be again sourced from Ulsan, South Korea. European models will be built in Nošovice in Czech Republic and Cairo in Egypt.

The Hyundai i30 is one of Australia's best-selling cars. In 2015 it tallied an impressive 32,306 sales locally, to be outdone only by the Mazda 3 (38,644) and Toyota Corolla (42,073), and is selling even more strongly this year.