New Hyundai i30 (2012): The marketing begins

The marketing begins for the new Hyundai i30

With the 2012 Hyundai i30 due to arrive in the UK in March, Hyundai are starting to promote the car that aims to take on the VW Golf and Ford Focus.

The new Hyundai i30 for 2012 arrived at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in September, and it caused a bit of a stir. Not just because it’s a good looking car, well built and keenly priced, but because VW boss Martin Winterkorn seemed so taken by it.

Perhaps ‘taken’ isn’t the right word to use for Herr Winterkorn’s reaction to the new i30 on the Hyundai stand at Frankfurt; perplexed may be more accurate, as he queried how on earth Hyundai could bolt the i30 together better than VW did the Golf (or the steering column, at least).

That was the sort of publicity for a new car money can’t buy – especially when the praise comes from the head of the opposition – but now we’re in the real world with a new car to launch, so Hyundai are having to do what all car makers do – start to let prospective punters know just what’s on offer.

Just over a week ago Hyundai revealed that the new i30 will cost from £14,495 in the UK, and be very well equipped too. Which should make VW and Ford (and many others) start to worry about just how good the new i30 is going to be. And although it won’t be on offer at the start, we fully expect Hyundai to offer an i30 GT with the new 200bhp engine from the Veloster Turbo at some point, which won’t do the image of the new i30 any harm at all.

Now we move on to proper advertising for the new i30 with the first commercial starting to air. It’s slick, simple and very grown up. Not a description you’d have used for anything to do with Hyundai even five years ago.

But it is now.

(30 photos – click any thumbnail for full gallery)

By Cars UK