Hot hatch shortage eases as Hyundai i20 N, i30 N orders reopen

Hyundai has reopened customer orders for the i20 N and i30 N hot hatches, effective immediately.

“Our existing order bank has been gradually reduced over the past year, to where we now have sufficient production supply to fulfil existing backorders,” said a spokesperson for Hyundai Australia.

The wait time for new customer orders is approximately six months, as it takes around 3-4 months for vehicles to be transported from Turkey (i20 N) and the Czech Republic (i30 N) once they roll off the assembly line.

Hyundai says it has around 240 i20 N and 380 i30 N hatch backorders, and the majority of vehicles are at sea now.

CarExpert understands updated versions of the i20 N and i30 N, will arrive in Australia during 2024. These have already been spied overseas with various cosmetic tweaks externally, though it’s unclear what other changes these updates will bring.

Hyundai closed orders for the i30 N in February 2023, having done the same for the smaller i20 N late in 2022.

When Hyundai shut the order books, there were around 1600 undelivered i30 N hatchbacks for Australia.

The i20 N and i30 N aren’t the only hot hatches that have been supply constrained. Wait times for the Honda Civic Type R and Toyota GR Corolla have been long, with the hot hatches coming here only in limited numbers.

The hot hatch market is changing, with key fixtures like the Ford Fiesta ST and Focus ST and Renault Megane R.S. all axed recently and electric models like the Abarth 500e coming here soon.

Hyundai’s N line-up is evolving itself. The Kona N has been phased out, with only limited stock remaining, while the Ioniq 5 N – due here in the first quarter of 2024 – will be the first electric vehicle (EV) from the performance sub-brand.

The company also offers an N version of its Korean-built i30 Sedan, which has been less affected by supply issues than its hatchback showroom-mates.

A facelifted version of the i30 Sedan N is due here early in 2024.

MORE: Everything Hyundai i20 MORE: Everything Hyundai i30 MORE: 2022 Hyundai i20 N review MORE: 2022 Hyundai i30 N review