Hyundai developing i-Blue brand with new i30

Posted Mon Jul 21 2008 10:49 PM by Nelson Ireson

First shown at the Geneva show this year, the Hyundai i-Blue line of efficiency-focused cars will get a new entrant, and a whole range to follow, with the debut of the i30 at the London Motor Show. The car shown at Geneva in March was an i10 powered by compressed natural gas.

The i30 that debuts at the London show this week will be powered by a 1.6L CRDi diesel engine, however, and is designed to be competitive with rivals like Ford and Volkswagen, while outperforming them on both price and emissions. The only mechanical change to the i-Blue i30's driveline is a tweaked set of gear ratios, to offer slightly higher gearing for lower engine revs, yielding a 6g/km drop in CO2 emissions. The rest of the i30's performance and handling remains the same.

While the alternative-fueled i10 managed an impressive 65g/km CO2 from its 0.8L CNG engine while also producing 96.6hp (72kW) from the tiny powerplant, the i30's more conventional route nets less than 120g/km CO2 - a base line requirement for all i-Blue branded vehicles - while providing the same essential driveability as its standard variant. The new i10 that will follow the i30 offers an all-new 1.2L Kappa petrol engine, and in combination with a manual transmission, all i10s with the new powerplant will meet the sub-120g/km CO2 requirement.

The new Kappa engine (pictured below) is rated at what Hyundai claims to be a class-leading 94.15Nm (69lb-ft) of torque per liter, or 113Nm (83lb-ft) total. Weighing in at just 82.4kg (181lb) dry, the engine is also a small and lightweight package despite delivering power of 77hp (57kW) from its 1.2L displacement. The key innovations involve lightweight materials and special surface treatments of key components for reduced mass while maintaining longevity.

Hyundai is advertising the new i-Blue i30 with a starting price of £13,155 ($26,270) with standard equipment like stability control, air conditioning and alloy wheels found across the range.

Gallery: Hyundai i30 i-Blue and Kappa engine

Reader Comments

Mon Jul 21 2008 11:01 PM
NoNameDenton says

I wish they would bring that here, make me think about trading in my Ram for a car
Tue Jul 22 2008 1:09 AM
amac says

I like Hyundai for the simple fact that they're really trying hard to improve and innovate... and their cars aren't half bad looking these days. The new Hyundais don't excite me but they don't turn me off either. They look better than the fugliness that Toyota and Honda have been spewing out lately. The Accord is a mess, the Civic looks like a doorstop, the Camry is I-don't-know-what and the new Corolla looks like... well... looks like the old Corolla. This Hyundai looks very european to me, quite nice.
Tue Jul 22 2008 3:47 PM
james says

an '06 accord with rounded headlights and a hatch

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