Thursday 29th September 2016

Hyundai - Paris 2016

A rally car and a 380hp hot hatch? Hyundai gets a whole lot more interesting!

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The Hyundai stand is one we've not seen just yet but, going off the press information and images, it's definitely going to be worth a visit. And how many times has it been possible to say that about a Hyundai show stand?

Let's start with the RN30, the concept that previews the i30 N that will be launched next year. Alright, so the cage, harnesses, scissor doors and ground-scraping bodykit are for show drama, but there's tangible stuff here too.

It's powered by the same engine as the road car will be, for example. The road car will probably make less than the 380hp found here, but the 2.0-litre turbo and dual-clutch gearbox combo will be the production powertrain. There's no word on a manual gearbox.

The power reaches the road via an all-wheel drive system with an "electronic limited-slip differential system" to shuffle the power to whichever wheel requires it. And you thought going after the Focus RS was merely talk...

The RN30 is 30mm wider (and 84mm lower) than the production i30, with a lot of body panels made from a new plastic developed with BASF; they reduce weight and are said to be highly durable. How far the overall look, with those wild arches, incredible rear diffuser and massive spoiler, will influence the i30 N of course remains to be seen. Let's hope the roof-mounted camera can stay!

2017 looks to be a big year for Hyundai. On top of the production i30 N, it will also compete with the new i20 rally car. Like the Citroen C3 already seen, it will be built to the new WRC regs with more power and additional tech. At Paris there's a preview of the car and, well, they're taking full advantage of the new aero rules! It's incredibly broad and really aggressive, certainly a long way from the i20 Coupe road car. Perhaps not a classically beautiful rally car, but if the WRC wants to ramp up the excitement then dramatic cars have to be a good start. Expect to see the full version later this year.

[MustardCutter]

Hyundai are getting a lot more interesting, though I guess that's not hard considering their back cataloge. Though I'll eat my pubes if the road version looks anything like that. Surely they want a manual gearbox for the 'plus' if they're chasing the frs?!

[bigmuzzie]

Rally car looks the business, if the road car is anything like it'll be a good start.

[Buff Mchugelarge]

Of all the Paris show stuff o clicked on Hyundai first. Don't ask me why.

Not disappointed though, exciting stuff

[jm28]

MustardCutter said:

Hyundai are getting a lot more interesting, though I guess that's not hard considering their back cataloge.

Some of the KDM stuff is a lot more interesting, particularly the small saloons. The Avante is a good looking car in general, the Avante Sport has 200bhp and sleeper looks. Plus there's a Sonata Turbo which used to have 275bhp but now has 255bhp because, you know, front tyres. Best thing is they're dirt cheap over here...