The Hyundai i30 hot hatch will eventually be joined by a sleeker five-door fastback version in Australia. The sportier body style will give Hyundai a point of difference in the affordable hot hatch stakes when it arrives, probably some time in 2018.

The ‘four-door coupe’ version of the i30 is clearly an attempt to woo younger buyers to the brand’s volume staple, in lieu of the axed three-door option that has been removed to give the all-new Veloster breathing space. Whether the i30 fastback comes to Australia in lower grades such as the SR or Active remains to be seen, given it’ll need to be sourced out of Europe, and therefore become more expensive. 


The i30 N fastback will use the same mechanicals as the i30 N hot hatch, which is poised to shake up a market defined by the Volkswagen Golf GTI/R, Ford Focus ST/RS and Renault Megane GT/RS.


The front-wheel drive i30 N will debut with two models: a 250 hp model and a 275 hp performance package variant. The car will also debut Hyundai’s first ‘E-LSD’ system, an electronically-controlled mechanical limited-slip front differential.