[reihem]

Testing has begun in chennai. Launching soon then ??

I for one would welcome a well priced large hatch. My daily car is a v40 and while the v is supposed to suggest that it’s an “estate”, it is for all practical purposes a 4.4 meter hatch. I love the proportions and look of hatches of this size. I genuinely believe that if Hyundai prices the i30 around 15 with decent levels of kit, they will have an urban winner on their hands.

Hyundai has no doubt watched Maruti’s play with the S-cross carefully and realised that the i30 can easily blow it out of the water.

[Prathiiik]

Powerdrift shares few spy shots of the i30 on Instagram:

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/BhcDi0RgdDr/

[GTO]

Thanks to Arvind Ramanathan for sending these images in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing them with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

This smart hatchback was spotted in Chennai on Saturday.

[swiftdiesel]

Perhaps they're testing a Kia under the shell of an i30? I'm surprised to find the car doing the rounds almost everyday because I keep spotting it throughout the week. I'm sure it's a hot hatch with that 1.6 diesel in there! The driver should be having fun.

[SR-71]

Isn't this the 2018 Elantra hatchback [https://www.caranddriver.com/news/20...and-info-news]. The new floating center console is quiet visible in the 4th pic in post#33 (the test monitors seem to be latched on top of it) and 3rd pic in post#1. Would this also indicate a possible update to the Elantra lineup. I am closely looking at the Elantra and would rather wait if an upgrade is due !

[Jeevith]

Was reading this read and just remembered a similar product that was launched a while back. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the Chevy SR-V a similar product!? basically a hatch back version of the Optra.

This car definitely didn't fair too well. Maybe the market wasn't ready for that car back then, or maybe it was the association with the Chevy brand (the Hyundai brand might hold more water, though IMHO at the time the Chevy brand was pretty aspirational).

The i30 may not have the exact same fate of the SR-V, but with the current SUV fetish, IMHO I see a relatively similar fate.

[swiftdiesel]

Originally Posted by SR-71

Isn't this the 2018 Elantra hatchback [https://www.caranddriver.com/news/20...and-info-news]. The new floating center console is quiet visible in the 4th pic in post#33 (the test monitors seem to be latched on top of it) and 3rd pic in post#1. Would this also indicate a possible update to the Elantra lineup. I am closely looking at the Elantra and would rather wait if an upgrade is due !

It's the Elantra stateside and Canada and i30 in Europe and hopefully here as well.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Jeevith

Was reading this read and just remembered a similar product that was launched a while back. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the Chevy SR-V a similar product!?

World of difference between the two scenarios.

- SRV came in 2006. Market has moved on since then for 12 years.
- When SRV was launched, it was priced at 6.99L. In a market where the 3.99L Swift had just been launched as one of the most expensive hatchbacks. (Getz was priced bit higher but it never sold well anyways).

- Compared to that, now a top end Jazz costs 11L on road. Surely Hyundai sees the numbers of the i20 and realize the potential of another hatchback above it.
- Might even have a better run than the new Verna, which is cornered by competition from Maruti, Honda, VW and even Toyota now.

[JayD]

Spotted this i30 hatch being driven through traffic in Chennai last evening . It looks pretty well proportioned and if priced a few lakhs above the i20 , would be a great first entry into the Indian full size hatch market.

What I don't understand is the general mindset that hatchbacks need to be small and any car over a certain size should be a sedan . A hatch is infinitely more practical than a sedan, and easier to live with in traffic and our congested metros.

Come on Hyundai , launch the i30 and the N sport trim too!

[motorworks]

I do not think Hyundai is considering that i30 for India. All the vehicles spotted are not camouflaged at all. May be they are testing for exports or testing the car for a new engine or something like that. Or it could be even that Kia is using this i30 to test something for their models to be launched in India.

Hyundai needs to get the New Santro right and also get a new under 4M compact SUV to rival the Brezza and Ecosport. These 2 should be the top priority since they will make a world of a difference in monthly sales and revenues.

So its just a matter whats most important for Hyundai at the moment. Plug evident product gaps rather than getting an expensive hatch back just because it exists in their portfolio.

If you look Hyundais portfolio vs Suzuki, you would understand that Hyundai has relatively nothing below the Grand i10, whereas Suzuki has the Celerio, Wagon R, Ignis! So even if Hyundai were to launch the new Santro and say phase out the Eon, they would still have far lesser cars in the entry level hatch back segment than Suzuki. The three above cars of Suzuki account for 25k approx numbers every month!

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by JayD

Come on Hyundai , launch the i30 and the N sport trim too!

Alternatively, Hyundai should adopt a VW strategy and just launch limited numbers of the i30N with a good spare-parts stocking and service support. Say 100 or 200 numbers only, price it at about 19.99L ex-showroom and pit it as a really cheap, more practical alternative to the Mini Cooper S or BMW 1 Series, that would be their target.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PswqCC3t2tg

However Hyundai should be careful that this doesn't become a boy-racer car that is driven super-rashly.. there isn't a shortage of such drivers in India and hence must keep the prices sky-high so that this remains out of the reach of many and has a perceived N brand value. An example I've seen are the number of rashly driven Octavia RS's and Polo TSi's I've seen in comparison to even BMWs and Minis that are driven quite slowly (slower than normal cars) and carefully because the latter 2 cars are considered to be a greater asset and hence aren't trashed. However I dread the noise the exhaust of the i30 will make if brought here, certain drivers love to "exaggerate" their showing off you see.

Originally Posted by motorworks

If you look Hyundais portfolio vs Suzuki, you would understand that Hyundai has relatively nothing below the Grand i10, whereas Suzuki has the Celerio, Wagon R, Ignis! So even if Hyundai were to launch the new Santro and say phase out the Eon, they would still have far lesser cars in the entry level hatch back segment than Suzuki. The three above cars of Suzuki account for 25k approx numbers every month!

You may be right that Hyundai isn't testing an i30 for local release (or that's what I feel anyway), this maybe a car brought in by Kia for engine and chassis testing purposes because the timeline of when this car came onto our roads matches quite well. However I also think that Hyundai is no longer a competitor to Suzuki/Maruti.. Hyundai is a brand of its own today.

Suzuki came to India in much different circumstances and they will continue to dominate the small car space for as long as they exist.. in terms of pricing and sales points no company can challenge them, if TATA failed with a better-built Nano then one can only imagine the futility of trying to compete with Maruti in the budget car scenario. Hyundai apparently has a capacity of 50k units a month in terms of manufacturing and they are running close to 90-93% utilization on average these days.. they should remain so and leave the rest to Kia.

The i30 is a great car, but not really meant for India price-wise.

[sxenimit]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

However Hyundai should be careful that this doesn't become a boy-racer car that is driven super-rashly.. there isn't a shortage of such drivers in India and hence must keep the prices sky-high so that this remains out of the reach of many and has a perceived N brand value. An example I've seen are the number of rashly driven Octavia RS's and Polo TSi's I've seen in comparison to even BMWs and Minis that are driven quite slowly (slower than normal cars) and carefully because the latter 2 cars are considered to be a greater asset and hence aren't trashed. However I dread the noise the exhaust of the i30 will make if brought here, certain drivers love to "exaggerate" their showing off you see.

The N model is a hot hatch. Hot hatch are made for boy-racers who want practicality along with great speed and power. There is no shortage of rash drivers around the world. Wether they drive an Alto or Lamborghini. To say the prices must remain sky-high so people can't afford it, it's counter productive to everyone.

Also you see Octavia RS's and TSI's is because they are cheaper to buy compared to beamer (by A LOT). In rest of the world, beamer drivers are considered the worse and the most obnoxious drivers you can find. However, it is this exact mentality in India, that people here pay almost 2x-3x than most people around the world pay for a car. You believe a Hyundai hot-hatch (a extremely brand new one at that) is somehow premium just because it's not a Maruti or Tata and somehow should be priced high to keep it off hands of people who wouldn't even enjoy the car to it's capacity.

Not to mention, the exhaust note is one of the best part of a car. There is no "exaggerating" when it comes to hot-hatches. The sound of that beautiful non-catted TBE exhaust is one of the reasons people buy these cars.

[RavenAvi]

Spotted by an ACI reader around Pune with BS-VI emission testing gear.

For a possible launch post-2020, or it's just the engine going through the emission tests? Only time will tell.

[Chillout]

Saw a car today, unfortunately couldn't take a pic, it was a 1.6d version, honestly it looks very similar to i20. Don't think this will do well if it's priced very high.

[motorworks]

Hyundai could be just testing this for some emissions or even a new engine. Hyundai would never test something undisguised, at least if you see their previous track record.
Or, Hyundai could try bringing this in like a Halo product with a turbo petrol and all that, like an alternative to the GT TSi. If you can price this around 10-12 Lakhs and market it as a sporty hatch, I do not see why some of the potential GT TSi customers would not buy this!