The Hyundai i30 N – the firm’s first hot hatch under the N performance brand – has quietly left the market in South Africa after a run of more than 5 years…
- Hyundai’s first hot hatch departs SA
- Was available in Mzansi for over 5 years
- Last priced at R848 900 before its exit
Yes, we’ve just lost another hot hatch. Cars.co.za can confirm the Hyundai i30 N – the South Korean company’s very first mass-production model under the “N” performance brand – is no longer available in South Africa.
While the i30 N has always been a low-volume product in Mzansi, we recently noticed zero units were registered in June, July or August 2025. With the hot hatch having also been removed from Hyundai’s local website, we asked the company for clarity.
Hyundai Automotive SA confirmed to Cars.co.za that the i30 N hot hatch “is no longer available in South Africa”. Interestingly, the closely related Kona N is still listed locally (for now, anyway), despite production of the hot crossover having already ended.
Though the i30 N has not been available in European markets since early 2024, it’s still sold in Australia (in both hatchback and sedan form, with the latter known elsewhere as the Elantra N) today, where it’s offered alongside the smaller i20 N and the fully electric Ioniq 5 N. So, production of the i30 N clearly continues at the firm’s Nošovice plant in the Czech Republic.
The last price we saw for the i30 N before its departure from South Africa’s new-vehicle market was R848 900. As a reminder, the i30 N – which was revealed globally back in July 2017 – launched in South Africa in February 2020, with its turbocharged 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder engine sending 202 kW and 353 Nm to the front axle via a 6-speed manual gearbox.
- ALSO READ: Hyundai i30 N (2020) Review
Hyundai’s local distributor then switched to a refreshed version in April 2022, ditching the pre-facelift model’s manual cog-swapper in favour of an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. The updated i30 N’s motor delivered improved outputs of 206 kW and 392 Nm through the aforementioned dual-clutch cog-swapper, facilitating a claimed 0-100 kph time of 5.4 seconds.
Though our sales records for 2020 and 2021 are unfortunately patchy, we’d speculate somewhere in the region of 300 examples of the i30 N were sold in South Africa in total. From what we can tell, 2022 was this model’s strongest year, with 91 units registered. That figure fell to 60 units in 2023 and 56 units in 2024, with a further 18 units having been sold locally in 2025 (up to the end of August).
- ALSO READ: Hyundai i30 N (2022) Review
With the Renault Mégane RS300 Trophy (last priced at R949 999) having also departed South Africa, sub-R1-million options in what has become a decidedly niche 5-door C-segment hot-hatch class are now limited to the outgoing Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI (from R853 400), the Toyota GR Corolla (from R883 600), the incoming Volkswagen Golf 8.5 GTI (R908 000) and the BMW M135 (from R982 768).
Those with a 7-figure budget might also consider the outgoing Volkswagen Golf 8 R (from R1 016 600), the Honda Civic Type R (R1 021 600), the Mercedes-AMG A35 (from R1 299 632), the Mercedes-AMG A45 S (from R1 457 119) and the Audi RS3 Sportback (from R1 498 200).
C-segment hot hatches from years gone by that are unfortunately no longer available globally (never mind here in South Africa) include the Ford Focus ST, Ford Focus RS, Mazda3 MPS, Opel Astra OPC and Peugeot 308 GTi.
Find a used Hyundai i30 N on Cars.co.za!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why is the Hyundai i30 N no longer available in South Africa?
A: While the hot hatch has not been available in European markets since early 2024, production continues in the Czech Republic for other markets like Australia. The decision to remove the vehicle from the South African market thus appears to be a local one.
Q: What was the last price of the Hyundai i30 N in South Africa?
A: The last recorded price for the Hyundai i30 N before its departure from the South African market was R848 900.
Q: When did the Hyundai i30 N first launch in South Africa?
A: The Hyundai i30 N launched in South Africa in February 2020.
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