THE first glimpse of the new-look Hyundai i20 compact hatchback has been revealed with the car schedule to be released later this year.

With a refreshed design including a redesigned front bumper and grille, the car has a sporty stance.

At the back there is a new taillight set-up while the rear bumper has also been tweaked.

Interior space remains as before with a boot of 352 litres of boot with the rear seats up and 1,165 litres with the rear seats folded down.

The new i20 comes with additional connectivity features including a standard 4.2-inch LCD cluster, USB type-C, second-generation eCall based on the 4G network, and Over-the-Air (OTA) map updates.

It continues to offer features from the previous version, such as the optional 10.25-inch cluster and 10.25-inch display screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless device charger, and the latest update to Bluelink telematics.

More Hyundai Smart Sense safety features now come as standard on the new line-up with Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) for ‘City', ‘Interurban', and ‘Pedestrian' now including a ‘Cyclist' mode. FCA helps detect and avoid potential accidents with obstacles ahead while Lane Following Assist (LFA) ensures that the vehicle stays in the current lane of travel.

Optional safety systems include Rear Cross-traffic Collision Assist (RCCA) which applies the brakes while backing out of a parking space if a risk of collision with vehicles to the rear and side is detected.

There is also a Blind-spot Collision-avoidance Assist (BCA) system which uses visual alerts that appear on the exterior mirrors if another vehicle is detected.

A navigation-based Smart Cruise Control (NSCC) uses the vehicle's navigation system to anticipate curves or straights on motorways and adjusts the speed for safer driving.

The new i20's 1.0 T-GDi engine - available with 100or 120ps is vailable with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (7DCT) or a six-speed Intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT). Upon releasing the accelerator, iMT can decouple the engine from the transmission, effectively saving fuel by allowing the vehicle to enter a coasting mode.

Prices and UK specifications are still to be announced with production of the new i20 scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2023 at Hyundai's manufacturing plant in Izmit, Turkey. Hyundai says further variants will follow.