The Hyundai i30 Sedan N is one of the standout front-wheel drive performance cars on the market, and has already been successfully adopted as the platform for the brand’s TCR racers globally.
Now a new-generation version has been spied, with the Korean Car Blog and HealerTV spotting what appears to be a test mule being developed in South Korea.
A short video shows the Avante N (as it’s sold in its home market) wearing largely the same body as the current car, but with what appears to be a wider front and rear track, with the wheels themselves close to protruding from the guards.
The Korean Car Blog speculates the wheels fitted to the car were also previously used on a Genesis GV90 test mule, suggesting there could be more platform sharing with the next-generation i30 Sedan N among the wider Hyundai group.
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As the car accelerates away, its exhaust note is also quite different from the current model, with a much deeper resonance, hinting at there being a new engine under the bonnet.
Previous reports have pointed to the next-generation i30 Sedan N getting a turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine, potentially with hybrid assistance.
At present, the i30 Sedan N produces 206kW and 392Nm in Australia, and can be ordered with a six-speed manual transmission or an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic.
The prospect of a larger capacity engine and hybrid assistance would likely lead to higher outputs but crucially lower emissions, something which has previously led to the demise of the i30 Sedan N in other markets.
According to the Korean Car Blog, the new-generation Hyundai Avante/Elantra/i30 Sedan will be revealed later this year, with the N version to follow.
In doing so, it’ll be one of the seven N vehicles Hyundai has said will be on sale by 2030, a lineup which is also expected to be bolstered by a hot version of the Tucson SUV.
Meanwhile, insider sources have recently told UK outlet Autocar the new-generation i30 N hatchback – currently running on a different platform to the sedan – will be one of the first performance models with hybrid assistance.
The publication speculated that the i30 N could be powered by a higher performance version of the 1.5-litre hybrid system already found in the i30 – though no longer sold in Australia – or a completely new powertrain.
Hyundai N Management Group vice president Joon Park told Auto Express last year that the door was well and truly open for hybrids in the performance brand’s lineup.
“We’re not limiting ourselves to EVs,” Park said. “We will go further with the ICE-based cars as well; this is not the end of our journey.
“I cannot tell you exactly – but lighter, more agile, nimble, and exciting. These are the key elements that we are heading to.
“One thing I can tell you is that if we have hybrid systems, the characteristics of our hybrid systems will be different.
“We have two different strategies for our hybrid systems: one for efficiency and one for neutral efficiency. If we have a hybrid system in our N cars, the strategy will be different; to have more power intensely.”
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