Hyundai’s i30 Fastback coupe seen as reply to ‘boring’ compacts slur
THOMAS Schmid, Hyundai’s chief operating officer for Europe, has described the current Csegment of the European car market as “boring.”
Hyundai compacts have also been brused off as being “boring”, and Schmid itends to change that starting with the i30 Fastback coupe.
He told reporters at a launch event in Dusseldorf, Germany, he believes that more and more buyers may be moving towards SUVs and crossovers “because the C-segment is a bit boring.”
This latest addition to the Hyundai family was unveiled alongside the new i30 N performance model, and the i30 Fastback features a lower nose and sleeker roofline than other i30s to blur the lines somewhat between a five- door hatch and a coupe.
The Fastback sits 5mm lower than the hatchback and a slimmer glass line is another contributing factor to this latest version being 30mm lower overall than its siblings. Hyundai claims these changes improve the car’s aerodynamics and at the same time lower the car’s centre of gravity. The i30 Fastback is also 115mm longer than the hatch, which also contributes to a sleeker profile.
The new i30 Fastback isn’t just designed to look the part though, as it also benefits from bespoke suspension settings with spring rates that are 15 per cent stiffer to deliver improved agility and much better handling.
Every model in the i30 lineup will be built at Hyundai’s facility in Nosovice, Czech Republic. Schmid added, “The enlargement of the i30 family is an important step in our road to 2021.” — Relaxnews