performance sub division
is set to launch its first product next year, a hotted-up version of the next i30N hatchback. This was confirmed by N boss Albert Biermann at the Nurburgring 24 Hour race last weekend, with a broad hint given by the fact Hyundai had entered a prototype racer fitted with the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine that will be used for the production car.
Biermann's previous gig was as head of engineering for BMW M, and he's certainly not short on ambition in his new role, confirming that two more
N-badged models
will be launched shortly after the i30N hatchback, aimed at other parts of the world.
We've not been given any official power outputs for the i30N but Hyundai showed us a video of it being dyno tested with numbers peaking at 264hp which we reckon can safely be taken to be a minimum, putting it right in the heart of the C-segment hot hatch class. Biermann also walked us around a prototype version and showed us the underside - although we weren't allowed to take any pictures - showing beefed up suspension and cooling systems and also some structural reinforcement pieces to strengthen the bodyshell. A six-speed manual gearbox will be standard, but he confirmed that a "sporty automatic" - almost certainly a twin-clutcher - is also under development. The prototype also had Hyundai's new electronically controlled limited-slip differential.
Biermann also said it's likely that there will be both standard and "plus" versions of the i30N, an increasingly popular marketing trick these days, and although final spec is still being decided but it's possible that the LSD will be reserved for the more senior version, which is also likely to get bigger brakes and possibly also a power bump. Electronically controlled active dampers are likely to be standard on all, with Biermann saying his team is trying to create a car with "maximum bandwidth."
Despite being at Hyundai's technical centre, which practically within spitting distance of the Nordschliefe, Biermann was keen to empahise that the i30N isn't being created to deliver segment-beating pace or even a storming Nurburgring lap.
"We are very serious about this, it is not just about the output," he said, adding later that "if you look at the data our car will not look like the winner [compared to rivals], but when you drive it you will feel how serious we are."
Beyond the i30N Biermann confirmed that two other N-badged models will be launched shortly afterwards, but also that - against expectations these days - neither of them will be an SUV.
"I see good potential to make a high performance SUV, we have SUVs that are almost crying out 'make me go faster!'", he said, "but we are not focusing there yet. It's all about the driving fun to start and of course the hatches, the sedans and the coupes have a better basis for this."
He also dropped some broad hints that the next two N models would share their powertrains with the i30N, so we're guessing most likely a saloon and a coupe to broaden the sub-brand's appeal in those parts of the world that don't buy hatches.
Beyond the first wave of cars Biermann admits to having hopes for more extreme N-cars, potentially even something similar to the Focus RS. "We have been looking at this already," he says. "I would not exclude for the future that we would do it, but it depends on how we grow. If we came up with a performance car on the highest level it might be too fast for our customers and our dealerships. But I can see for the future that we will make a really high performance car in the C-Segment. And then, of course, we would need AWD."