YOU would need more than the digits on a single hand to count the number of vehicles that Hyundai Australia will launch this year, but the i30 is its most important by some margin.

Occasionally a month-by-month top-seller in the local market, the i30 in its third, PD generation, aims to build upon the success of the original 2007 FD and 2012 GD predecessors. Enter this more subtle five-door design, high-end infotainment across the range, boosted active safety technology and more powerful engines to go along with significantly improved driving dynamics.

These are Hyundai’s claims ready to be put to the test, but with buyer take-up of the base model expected to drop from 90 per cent to 66 per cent with this new i30, the company clearly believes the higher-end of its latest small car has become excellent enough to poach sales from pricier rivals.

To say there is a lot riding on this all-new Hyundai i30 is an understatement.

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