Your first look at the new Hyundai i20 – sort of

There have been plenty of weird design language names over the years (think Cadillac’s ‘art and science philosophy’, Mazda’s ‘kodo’ design language and Toyota’s ‘vibrant clarity’ style), but Hyundai’s ranks near the top of the list. The i20 will be the first model born of this new motif, and as such will be “characterised by the harmony between four fundamental elements: proportion, architecture, styling and technology”. At least that’s what Hyundai is going for…

From the teaser images (there are just two, both of the exterior) we can see that the new i20 is far more aggressive than the last, with a whiff of the old Mazda 3 about it. It’s a sharp design, that’s for sure, with a wider stance, sharper creases and a contrasting roof that extends down to the boot. There’s a new light signature, too, that includes two sharply angled cats-eye headlights.

There’s no word yet on powertrains, trims or price, but Hyundai has said that the dashboard will feature “horizontal blades”, with the intention of emphasising the “width of the front fascia and neatly disguising the air vents”. There will also be a new dash, with “two 10.25-inch screens”.