[THE INVESTOR] Korea’s automotive giant Hyundai Motor debuted its new i30 Fastback N for the first time at the Paris Motor Show that opened on Oct. 2, ahead of the official launch in Europe later this year.
The company’s 1,724-square-meter showroom showed off 14 vehicle models spanning from electric to hydrogen. Topping the exhibit was the i30 Fastback N, the third model of Hyundai’s high performance-oriented “N” brand. The cars is a revised and more powerful version of Hyundai’s five-door i30 coupe released in the latter half of last year.
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The front of the car has been stretched by 120 millimeters and the height lowered by 28 mm to make the car slimmer and sleeker. A rear spoiler worked into the tailgate gives it a sportier look, Hyundai officials claimed. The powertrain consists of a 2.0 gasoline turbo engine and six-speed manual transmission, which gives it a maximum 275 horsepower and 36 kilogram-force meters of torque.
Five driving modes are available -- normal, sports, eco, N and N custom.
Hyundai also displayed an i30 N show car to give a full look at the 25 available options and high-grade components.
Its sister affiliate Kia Motors went to the show with 16 vehicles in its lineup, including the all-new Proceed wagon set to go on sale in the first quarter of next year in Europe.
The new Proceed is Kia’s Europe-specific strategic model. It is lower in height than the five-door Ceed model or sportswagons, though it is longer, with the rear designed to give it the feel of a coupe.
Proceed comes with 1 liter, 1.4 liter or 1.6 liter G-TDI engines or a 1.6-liter diesel engine. Safety features include lane following assist, cross traffic collision warning and forward collision avoidance assist.
Also in the showroom was the Ceed GT, the high-level version of Kia’s Ceed line, that will be sold in Europe from the first quarter of 2019.
By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)