Hyundai i30 N: 2nd-Gen Hot Hatch Unlikely

Hoping Hyundai will build a direct successor to the petrol-powered i30 N? Well, it seems the Korean hot hatch won’t make it to a second generation…

If fresh comments from Albert Biermann are any indication, Hyundai’s first hot hatch – the i30 N – will not make it to a second generation.

Biermann, the executive who masterminded the Hyundai N performance sub-brand and who still serves as an executive technical advisor to the group, suggested to Australian media outlets the petrol-powered i30 N hot hatch would likely be a single-generation model.

The reason? Well, as you may well have already guessed, ever-tightening emissions regulations in Europe mean the writing is on the wall for a wide range of combustion-engined vehicles, including hot hatches like the i30 N. The closely related Kona N as well as the smaller i20 N are seemingly facing a similar fate.

Interestingly, however, the former BMW M boss indicated the Elantra N – which is badged as the i30 N in Australia but not offered here in South Africa – had a strong chance of surviving, though it would be limited to markets where regulations weren’t quite as strict.

“At least for Australia, they can always be – not always, but for quite some time – there can be combustion [petrol] cars out there. At least one. It’s a pretty safe bet,” Biermann said, according to Drive.

*The turbocharged 2.0-litre engine from the i30 N is expected to be phased out over the next few years.*

“In other areas, it’s not so easy. With Euro 7 regulations, you can imagine it’s a little bit more challenging. But for Australia, we can clearly see something like a next-generation Elantra N – you call it i30 Sedan N – that can survive.”

According to carsales.com.au, the turbocharged 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine used by the i30 N (as well as the Kona N) will be phased out over the next few years and replaced by an uprated version of the Hyundai group’s turbocharged 2.5-litre unit. It’s worth noting the Elantra N employs a different platform to the i30 N hot hatch, with the former seemingly capable accepting this larger mill.

“At least when I checked the other engine, everything fits in [the next-generation i30 Sedan] without big drama and [a new i30 Sedan N] is in the long-range plan already,” Biermann told Drive.

When asked whether a fully electric model might eventually replace the i30 N hot hatch as we know it, the German-born engineer didn’t rule out the possibility.

“If we’re talking EVs, then we could very well see an all-electric i30 N in a hatch body with our B- and C-segment plans, but it might take some time to get there; to get it right,” Biermann said, according to CarExpert.

Though it was revealed as long ago as 2017, the i30 N launched in South Africa in February 2020 at a price of R679 900, with its force-fed 2.0-litre engine sending 202 kW and 353 Nm to the front axle via a 6-speed manual gearbox. The facelifted version touched down in April 2022, boasting higher peak outputs (206 kW and 392 Nm), an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission and a starting price of R749 900 (which has since increased to R764 900). Over the past six months, 43 units have been registered locally.

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