Hyundai N already bases itself at the Nürburgring to develop and sign-off its performance models, and now its next-generation engine is set to be put through 24 hours around the ‘Green Hell’.
Ahead of the upcoming Nürburgring 24 Hour race in May – which combines the Grand Prix circuit with the Nordschleife – Hyundai has confirmed it is entering three factory-backed cars, all based on the Elantra N (i30 Sedan N) TCR machine, though two have a twist.
The two cars entered in the SP4T class are Hyundai’s Elantra N1 RP (rolling prototype) sedans, fitted with a “prototype engine featuring improved power and response characteristics with enhanced race capability while meeting current emissions standards”.
It’s tipped that the new engine, of unknown capacity, will remain as a turbocharged four-cylinder, and eventually find its way into the majority of Hyundai’s N performance family.
It’s a full-circle moment for Hyundai, which first entered the 24-hour race in 2016 with a prototype i30 running what would become the 2.0-litre engine in the i30N from 2017 onwards, with its powertrain continuing in service to this day.
In Europe, both the 2.0-litre i30N and 1.6-litre i20N were axed due to no longer being compliant with emissions regulations, with the demise of the smaller hot hatch eventually impacting the Australian market too.
Despite this, Hyundai has previously vowed it’ll sell more than seven N models by 2030, and though it has remained coy on what other models will join its lineup, at least one of the upcoming N cars is expected to be a hotter Tucson.
Last month, Hyundai N boss Joon Park told the UK’s evo magazine the performance brand has no intention of walking away from petrol power, with a new engine currently under development.
According to Park – who was not directly quoted in the report – Hyundai’s future N models could offer pure petrol power, as well as be offered as plug-in hybrids, providing some context to comments the executive made last year when he simply said hybrids were on the table.
In 2025, Hyundai also confirmed it was developing a mid-rear (MR) engined platform, which would be a logical addition to the N brand.
“We’re currently developing the MR engine. The MR engine is a completely new engine, and its design and configuration is quite different from any other engine,” Daehee Kim, a researcher from Hyundai Motor Group’s engine design team, said.
“It’s a high-speed, high-performance engine, so we’re facing a lot of challenges. However, we are gradually establishing a direction with our seniors (researchers/engineers).
“Our team’s goal is to develop an engine that meets the performance requirements of the market, and mass produce it without problems. This requires a disciplined approach to not overlooking even the smallest details.”
Hyundai CEO José Muñoz has also previously suggested a small hybrid model could also join the N lineup, most likely the i20N.
Discussion about this post