2024 Hyundai i30 hatch’s second facelift spied again, due later this year

The second 'facelift' for the 2024 Hyundai i30 hatchback has been caught on camera, ahead of first European and Australian showroom arrivals anticipated by the end of this year.

The images of the standard i30 hatch captured by Drive's spy photography partners follow photos of the updated i30 N hot hatch taken in South Korea earlier this month, with similar amounts of black camouflage disguising its design changes.

The second update for the current i30 hatch – after its launch in 2017, and the first facelift in 2020 – is designed to extend the life of one of Australia's top-selling small cars until the middle of the decade.

While a new generation of its Kia Cerato twin is planned, the future of the Hyundai i30 after 2025 or 2026 – and into another generation – is unclear, amid declining small-car sales globally.

MORE: Second facelift for 2024 Hyundai i30 hatch spied for the first time as i30 N

A next-generation Hyundai i30 hatch may adopt electric power as its Europe, its most popular region, is due to roll out even more stringent emissions standards from 2026 that some models in the current i30 range may not meet.

Arrival timing for the second Hyundai i30 update is yet to be confirmed, however Drive understands it could be in showrooms in Australia – the largest single market for the vehicle – by the end of this year.

It has been confirmed for European showrooms in October 2023, in standard and i30 N hot-hatch forms.

The Hyundai i30 Sedan in Australian showrooms – which rides on newer underpinnings than the hatch, with Hyundai's latest technology and design cues – is also due for an update later this year, in what will be its first facelift since its 2020 launch.

The amount of camouflage on this prototype makes it difficult to discern how extensive the styling changes will be.

However, the grille, headlights, tail-lights and wheels appear to be unchanged, as do key sheet-metal components such as the roof and bonnet – suggesting visual changes will be mild at most.

The V-shaped LED headlight signatures may look new to many Australian buyers, but they have been available on Czech-built Hyundai i30 models since its first major facelift in 2020.

The only Czech-made i30 model sold in Australia is the i30 N hot hatch; standard versions are produced in South Korea, with Australia one of the final markets that imports i30s built in this factory.

Part of the dashboard in this i30 prototype is obscured, which Drive's spy photography partners in Europe – who took these photos – have speculated may point to interior upgrades.

It is unclear how extensive this would be, and if the i30 hatch – now six years old in Australia – would be able to support the Hyundai group's latest widescreen digital instrument cluster and other high-tech interior features.

Plans for changes under the bonnet are also yet to be disclosed.

The i30 N is expected to retain its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine (206kW/392Nm) with no upgrades, as the now decade-old motor is nearing the end of the road.

It is understood the engine – which remains in only two Hyundai N cars, the i30 N hatch and i30 Sedan N, as the Kona N SUV is about to be axed – will not be upgraded to meet new 'Euro 7' emissions standards due in Europe in 2026.

The full Hyundai i30 range is not expected to survive in European showrooms beyond the introduction of Euro 7, as it does not offer any form of hybrid power – and its older engines may not meet the strict new rules.

It could continue in Australia beyond its death in Europe – at which point it would be 10 years old – and Drive understands the remaining lifespan of the vehicle differs by market.

A next-generation Hyundai i30 hatch is not believed to be a certainty – contrary to some overseas reports – but Hyundai N executives have expressed interest in offering an electric i30 N hot hatch by 2030, which could pave the way for a standard, battery-powered i30 hatch.