Hyundai to launch ix20

Hyundai has released the first image of its main star for the Paris motor show: the ix20.

The firm's small MPV - in effect a rival for the Kia Venga and Vauxhall Meriva - is previewed through a sketch.

See pics of the new Hyundai ix20

But even from the illustration, it's clear that the Korean manufacturer is trying to steer the car away from traditional boxy-MPV stereotypes.

That's also reflected in its name; Hyundai only uses 'x' in its badging for cars that it considers 'crossovers', such as the ix35.

The ix20 is the work of Hyundai's European R&D centre in Germany. It's the second Hyundai, after the ix35, to use what the firm calls its "fluidic sculpture" design language.

Hyundai says the car is "a vehicle with the ability to simultaneously serve as a functional people-carrier while providing a dynamic, fun-to-drive experience".

With Hyundai's Scirocco-rivalling Veloster being delayed until after Paris, the ix20 will be the brand's main launch at the show - although it will also reveal a revised i10 range that includes a 1.0-litre model with CO2 emissions of 99g/km.

The ix20 will go on sale in the UK in early November 2010, with more details being revealed closer to the show.

Hyundai ix20 1.4 Classic

This is the new Hyundai ix20, It shares a great deal with sister car the Kia Venga The ix20 has, the Nissan Note and the Citroen C3 Picasso in its sights, Performance is acceptable but modest: it is not as good as the Note for example

Exterior performance

Interior performance

Rear cabin space is impressive; better than a Volvo XC90, The interior is also good quality with simple, robust materials, There's nothing that seems low rent about the ix20, If you fold the rear seats flat you can accommodate 1486 litres of luggage - more than some estates

General performance

It comes with a choice of 1.4-litre petrol, 1.6-litre petrol and 1.4-litre diesel engines, All of which are given a stop-start system

Kia Forte

Much like parent company Hyundai, Kia has been working hard to revive its brand image. New products like the Soul and Forte have been relatively well received so far, and with new stunners like the 2011 Sportage and Optima on the way, Kia should benefit from a healthy boost in sales. But strip away the sleek new designs and clever interior packaging, and you'll find that Kia's core value of crafting extremely safe vehicles is still holding strong, especially now that the 2010 Forte sedan has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The Forte received ratings of "Good" (the highest achievable) in front, side, rear and rollover impact crash tests – something that safety-minded buyers will surely appreciate. What's more, this gives the Forte more ammo to compete head on with the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, its two main competitors, which have also been dubbed as Top Safety Picks by IIHS. Curiously, only the sedan was mentioned in the IIHS study, so we can't say if this prestigious honor carries over to the two-door coupe Koup.