Set to make its first public outing at next month’s 2012 Geneva Auto Salon is the new Hyundai i30 Wagon, which is the second addition to the Korean automaker’s C-segment model after the new generation five-door hatchback that was presented at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.
Before we get into more details, allow us to remind you that in North America, the i30 hatchback will be sold as the Elantra GT, while the previous generation i30 Wagon is marketed under the Elantra Touring nameplate.
The new i30 Wagon shares its engines and running gear with the five-door model, but sports a longer body to increase trunk space. More specifically, the Wagon’s length is increased by 185mm (7.3-in.) to 4,485mm (176.6-in.) over its five-door counterpart, which also makes it 10mm (0.4-in.) longer than the original i30 wagon.
As a result of the longer body, trunk space has been increased from 378-litres in the hatch to 528-litres in the Wagon. With the rear passenger seats folded down, cargo volume rises more than three-fold, to 1,642-litres.
Hyundai said that like the hatchback model, the i30 Wagon was also designed and engineered “specifically for European customers” at its European R&D Centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany.
“The New Generation i30 has been widely praised for its style, quality, and value. Our new wagon offers all of those attributes plus even greater load-carrying capacity,” commented Allan Rushforth, Chief Operating Officer of Hyundai Motor Europe.
“We expect it to appeal strongly to those looking for stylish and flexible practicality, especially active families,” the Hyundai exec added.
Hyundai’s new 2012 i30 wagon will be offered in Europe with the same three petrol engines and three diesel engines as the five-door, with outputs ranging from 88bhp to 133bhp (90PS to 135PS).
The Korean automaker did not say if or when the i30 Wagon will be available in other markets outside of Europe.
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