The Hyundai i10 has never been a particularly aggressive looking vehicle—in fact, it’s about as inoffensive as you can get—but it looks like things are about to change. The newest teaser for the 2020 i10 city car makes it out to look... actually pretty fucking cool.
This teaser has been released ahead of the car’s official debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and I am in love. As with pretty much all preview sketches, this one is highly stylized and likely won’t have proportions that are so sharp and aggressive (although, I wouldn’t argue with a hot hatchback-style kind of deal)—but when you really dig down into the design cues at play, it’s awful promising.
It all hinges on a really dynamic front end: the wide grille gives the i10 something of an Aston Martin-esque flair while the huge triangular air intakes make you wonder if Hyundai has something fun hiding underneath that hood. (Chances are, the i10 will be pretty chill, but that doesn’t mean I can’t dream). As we move back across the hood and body, the deep, angular grooves practically beg you to press down just a little harder on the gas pedal.
I think one of the most interesting things, though, is what Hyundai hints at in its press release but doesn’t actually show in the photo itself:
The X-shaped C-pillar, visible from far away, clearly identifies the car and draws the eye to the pillar-mounted logo.
Could it be the interesting little teaser image that Hyundai released back in July? Only time will tell—but I really hope so.
Tons of details aren’t currently available but should be forthcoming as the Frankfurt Motor Show approaches. Hyundai talks about the tech and safety features in its press release—Apple Car Play, Android Auto, collision assists, lane keep assists, etc—but we’ll just have to wait and see if this little vehicle will turn out to be as tough as it looks.