New Hyundai i20 teased ahead of Paris debut

The first official design renderings of the car, which hopes to go toe to toe with the latest Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo, have been released.

And in terms of styling, the new car has a very European feel with a wider stance, longer nose and smoother lines. The overall effect will be enough to help it stand out -- for the right reasons -- against its traditionally more refined 'B' segment competitors.

Like fellow Korean car maker KIA, Hyundai has been focusing heavily on injecting more individuality and character into the look and feel of its cars in recent years -- KIA hired Audi's head of design to take its cars to the next visual level and Hyundai has set up its design studio in Germany, the heart of the European car industry.

And in both cases, the investment is paying off. Both brands are managing to make the transition from being perceived as producing value-for-money -- i.e., cheap -- vehicles to being companies that offer compelling alternatives to the likes of Ford, Renault, Peugeot, Citroen and VW.

Although there is currently no official word as to what will be sitting under the i20's hood or the cabin's trim and feature levels, Hyundai is expected to release further information about the car before it heads to the Paris motor show on October 2 for its official unveiling.