South Korea is aiming straight at the Europeans with its upcoming small sports sedan.
Images of a camouflaged Hyundai i30 Sedan N (Elantra N in the USA) prototype during development testing, ahead of a reveal either late this year or early in 2021.
The all-new Hyundai i30 Sedan – formerly the Elantra – is due to touch down in normal and sporty N Line forms before the end of 2020, but the new N version will turn things up a notch with the same running gear as the i30 N and Veloster N hot hatches.
Being based on the i30 Sedan, we already know what the i30 Sedan N will look like in terms of its shape, light signatures and so on. The N will build on the N Line with an even more aggressive body kit, a prominent rear wing, as well as a beefy wheel/brake/tyre package.
At the rear we can also see a pair of fat tailpipes sticking out from the bumper, almost certainly set to pack variable valve technology like the existing i30 N and Veloster N.
Power is set to come from a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine shared with the i30 N and Veloster N, currently outputting 202kW and 353Nm in its highest ‘Performance’ tune.
Drive will be sent to the front wheels via either a six-speed manual transmission or the company’s new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Core versions of the Hyundai i30 Sedan are due to arrive in Australia before the end of 2020, offering both 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated and 1.6-litre turbocharged powertrains, as well as a high-tech cabin.
The move to rename the Elantra to i30 Sedan will help the Korean brand take the fight to the Toyota Corolla in the Australian sales race, with the i30 hatch comfortably holding second place in small passenger car sales on its own.
Further details for the new i30 Sedan N will be revealed in the coming months, so stay tuned to CarExpert for our coverage.
