Hyundai announced the name of its new five-door hatchback, the Hyundai i30. The i30 will make its Australian debut in October 2007. I sincerely hope that Hyundai did not pay a team of creative consultants to come up with that name! If so, it was money wasted. I could have come up with the name in less the 60 seconds. Anyhow, I digress...

The i30 will share the same platform as the new Elantra sedan, however the i30's design and development with be kept entirely separate.

As you can see from the above image, upon release the i30 will have undergone significant testing under Australian conditions. Hyundai have stated that the i30 will adopt a distinctly 'European' feel.

“Shaped in our German styling studio, the new i30 will combine highly contemporary design with Hyundai’s outstanding quality and value”, said Kevin McCann, Hyundai’s Sales and Marketing Director. “It’s going to surprise everyone – not least our competitors.”

But I mean to say, come on Hyundai, all that money and the best name you could come up with was the i30? Then again, I suppose they could have done worse, they could have called it the "Probe".

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