First Sight: Hyundai i30

Hyundai invited Car Design News for an exclusive sneak preview of the all-new i30 last week, ahead of its global debut at the Frankfurt motor show today. The event was held in Frankfurt's renowned Cocoon Club (the venue will also play host to this year's Interior Motives Awards, which takes place this coming Wednesday night), and was chosen because of its interior décor – something Hyundai's European Design Chief, Thomas Buerkle, likened to the Korean company's 'Fluidic Sculpture' design language. "We have been inspired by nature and beautiful shapes," Buerkle told the audience of journalists at the launch.

New Car Sales Accelerating Ahead

IT’S GOOD news in the new car market as the latest figures from industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal registrations already outstripping those of 2012 with one month of the year still to go. A total of 159,581 new cars were registered in November - a 7% rise on the figure for November 2012. Last month's figures took the year-so-far total to 2,111,819 - a 9.9% rise on the January-November 2012 total and already in excess of the year-end 2012 figure of 2.04 million.

More power and track bias for ultimate Megane RS

By Phil McNamara Motor Industry 05 October 2006 01:07 Renaultsport is unleashing its most honed Megane yet – the catchily named 230 F1 Team R26. The £19,750 hot hatch is based on the track-focused 225 Cup edition, but with power bumped to 230bhp, tauter suspension and a limited slip differential to boost traction. A rasping sports exhaust and ECU tweaks boost the 2.0-litre turbo engine’s power from 225 to 230bhp.