Hyundai Releases First Real Life Photo of the New i40 Mid-Size Model

Hyundai today gave us a new sneak peek of its upcoming i40 mid-size model with the release of the first real life image of the car, which is scheduled to receive its world premiere at the Geneva Salon on the 1st of March. The new i40 will replace the older generation Sonata in Europe competing in the D-Segment with the likes of the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat. At Geneva, we'll see the estate version of the model (probably named i40 CW) with the four-door sedan variant to follow before the end of the year.

Up until now, South Korea's largest automaker had only released a set of illustrations of the i40 CW (CrossWagon). The new photo shows off the interior of the i40, and in particular the dashboard with its sculpted shapes.

There's a big screen display mounted high up on the middle of the dash flanked by a pair of small air vents, underneath which nestle a bank of push buttons for ventilation and minor controls.

The company claims that new i40 "will move the company towards a ‘modern premium’ positioning that will bring high-end features and vehicle quality to Hyundai customers at accessible prices."

Hyundai has not released any details on the engine line-up, but it is believed that at launch, the i40 will be offered with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol with direct injection and an output of around 170-horsepower, plus two variants of the a 1.7-liter turbo-diesel with 115 HP and 136 HP.

The new i40 will be joined in Geneva by the European specification of the Veloster sports model (see our scoop photos here) and the Curb small crossover concept study, which we first saw at the Detroit Motor Show this past January.

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2011 Detroit Show: Hyundai's Curb Small Crossover Concept

Sharing the spotlight with the Veloster coupe at Hyundai's Detroit motorshow stand is the Curb, a conceptual study for a small crossover model positioned under the Tucson. Labeled by Hyundai as a compact Urban Activity Vehicle (UAV), the Curb is aimed at young city dwellers.

Penned by the designers at Hyundai's California studio, the Curb's styling is said to have evolved from the firm's “Fluidic Sculpture” design language seen on the latest Sonata and Elantra.

“We wanted the Curb to be urban tough without looking like a Brink's truck,” said Jason Brown, Hyundai designer. City driving was going to be its forte, not crossing the Rubicon trail, but we wanted it to have urban armor for daily driving on city streets. It needed to empower its passengers in this setting.”

Another Hyundai designer, Arash Badeanlou boldly stated “The world has never seen lines like this on a car before," adding "it is as if the architect Santiago Calatrava inspired it.”

The Curb, which is the seventh vehicle (hence the HCD-12 codename) to be designed at the company’s California Design Center, is motivated by a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with direct injection tech, mated to Hyundai's Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) [wonder what the VW Group has to say about the abbreviation...]. The force-fed motor develops 175 horsepower and 169 lb. ft. of torque. Hyundai said that by adding Idle Stop and Go (ISG) technology, the Curb would deliver 30+ mpg in the city and 40+ mpg on the highway.

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Detroit Show Preview: Hyundai Curb Crossover Concept Study

The upcoming Veloster sports hatch will be sharing the spotlight at Hyundai's Detroit motorshow stand with a new crossover concept called the Curb. The South Korean firm has released very little information on the study that carries the HCD-12 codename, but we do know that it has been penned at the firm's California Design Center. According to the company, the Curb's styling is an evolution of the "fluidic sculpture" design language seen on the latest Sonata and Elantra sedans. The official unveiling of the Curb will take place on Monday, January 10 at the Cobo Hall in Detroit.

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Hyundai dresses up New Accent as RB Concept for the Moscow Auto Show

Along with the local version of the new Sonata, Hyundai is also showing the RB "concept" at the Moscow International Motor Show. What we're really looking at though is a thinly disguised version of the Russian market Verna/Accent subcompact, which originally made its world premiere at the Beijing Auto Show back in April.

Other than the "Orchid strokes", "fluidic essence", and the styling blah blah blah (we get it, Hyundai, the new models are full of emotion), this is some sort of international peace statement.

Seriously, the announcement says this model helps realize "the harmonic coexistence of all things created". Don't forget: you can't hug people with nuclear arms. The concept features a different hexagonal fascia (similar to that of the latest Tucson / iX35) for the Russian market (which seems a bit too rounded and conservative...the car, not the market), as well as a set of boomerang fog lamps.

The Russian RB/Verna/Accent will be built at Hyundai's St. Petersburg, Russia factory and should be on sale next spring. It will be powered by one of two new Gamma engines, either a 1.4-liter (107 hp, 135 Nm) or a 1.6-liter (124 hp, 156 Nm), hooked up to a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission.

For other dimensions, check out our post from the Beijing reveal.

By Phil Alex