HYUNDAI HATCHES CLA-FIGHTER
Hyundai reveals plans for a sexy shooting brake
WHEN Hyundai revealed the 2017 i30 hatch in September, it wasn’t just flaunting its latest and greatest (and heavily Europeanised) product, it was showing the world its all-new small car platform, too.
It has a near-identical 2650mm wheelbase as the current model, but everything is new under the skin. From the floorpan to the roof, from bumper to bumper, the platform is all-new, and we’ve learned it’s got built-in potential when it comes to upgrading the i30’s drivetrains.
Chassis development manager Antonino Pizzuto told Wheels the new platform would enable the Korean automaker to squeeze a rear differential, tailshaft and driveshafts into the back of the i30 to give it all-paw traction, something that hasn’t been available to date.
Hyundai makes no secret of its plan to cultivate the yet-to-launch N sub-brand into a line-up of highly tuned sports models, and an all-wheel-drive version of the coming i30 N could put the heat on rivals such as the Subaru WRX and VW Golf R.
Beyond making Hyundai’s highly anticipated hot hatch even more of a scorcher, the availability of AWD could also allow the brand to wheel out an all-weather crossover version of the i30 to do battle with Subaru’s Impreza-based XV.
However, it’s unclear exactly when – or indeed if – Hyundai will equip the i30 with all-wheel drive.
The i30 N is expected to be frontdrive only, despite its considerable output (which is expected to be as much as 200kw and 375Nm), while Hyundai’s upcoming Euro-market SUV (which is also on the cards
for an Australian debut; see story on p22) is believed to be based on the new i20’s architecture.
“From my knowledge, there is the ability to do [an all-wheel-drive i30],” Pizzuto said, “but this doesn’t mean that we’ve made a statement on using it.
“However, we are very quick to respond to customer demands, and I wouldn’t be concerned if my boss asked me tomorrow to put fourwheel drive into the car.”
Vehicle analysis manager Martin Bott added that Hyundai has “a platform where we can react really fast on needs”.
There is also a concerted push from Hyundai to place new bodystyles on the i30 platform, and a sportier, sexier ‘shooting brake’ like the Mercedes-benz CLA will be one of them.
While presenting the new i30 to the crowd, Hyundai president and chief designer Peter Schreyer flicked up a slide showing three silhouettes side by side: a five-door hatch; a wagon; and an intriguing low-roofed, coupe-like car.
A regular wagon has been part of the i30 line-up since the first generation and its return for the all-new third generation was virtually guaranteed. But an i30 coupe is a surprise for the somewhat conservative South Korean company.
However, while speaking with Wheels, Schreyer revealed the i30 coupe wouldn’t be a sports model in the traditional sense, but would instead have five doors and an aesthetic not dissimilar to the Mercedes-benz CLA Estate.
Schreyer would not be drawn on powertrain options.
Timing has yet to be announced, but the conventional i30 wagon is expected to be the next model to launch after the hatch, which will come to Australia in the second quarter of 2017.
A timeline for the sporty shooting brake bodystyle has yet to be revealed, though Schreyer is adamant that it exists in forms other than merely a swoopy silhouette in a slideshow – work has begun and it has already been given the green light by Hyundai’s board of management.
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