Hyundai is present at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show, and it brought a small sedan that will be sold exclusively in the Chinese market. Called “Lafesta,” the sedan is primarily aimed at younger buyers in the Chinese market, a lot of whom should come to appreciate the sedan’s sporty styling and all the decked-out features that come with it.

It is curious that Hyundai would call the model “Lafesta.” There’s nothing wrong with the name — it actually means “festival” in Italian — it’s just weird to associate an Italian name on a Hyundai. Hyundai does justice to the name though because the Lafesta has some good qualities to it. According to Hyundai, the Lafesta adopts the automaker’s new “Sensuous Sportiness” design language. It’s clear from the way it looks that there’s more to that statement than fancy PR spin.

The front section features an imposing version of Hyundai’s Cascading grille. It’s complemented by sleek headlights that rest on top of the grille. LED daytime running lights are also present in the car, and there’s enough chrome and gloss black trim spread throughout to give it a more premium look.

There are no interior photos of the sedan, but Hyundai said that the cabin features a cockpit-style design with a good amount of premium materials covering a lot of the interior surface. On the tech side, the Lafesta comes with a suite of advanced safety and tech systems, including safety driving assistance systems.

The Lafesta also gets a 1.6-liter turbocharged GDI engine that’s mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. There’s no word yet on how much output it’s carrying, but considering its target market and “sporty” billing, don’t be surprised if the compact sedan has a good amount of power in it. We’re not expecting it to go over 200 horsepower, but somewhere in the vicinity of 180 ponies should suffice.

Hyundai has high hopes for the Lafesta, so it’s not going to short-change the car of anything that could dissuade prospective buyers from getting it. Either way, the sedan goes on sale in the fourth quarter of this year. It’s not expected to go anywhere except China, so if you have your eyes on the sedan, you’re going to have a difficult time procuring one, at least unless you move to China.

References

Read more Hyundai news.

Read more 2018 Beijing Auto Show news.