Hyundai N Brand To Launch A 250-Horsepower i20 Hot Hatchback

There has been a lot of talk about the Hyundai “N” high performance badge, but nothing to see.

That will change with the release of the i20 hardcore hot hatch, which just so happens to be the vehicle that Hyundai uses in the World Rally Championship.

The “N” on the badge is a nod to the Namyang research and development center that Hyundai operates.

Jurgen Grimm, Head of Powertrain Engineering, say that the next few years promise to be busy ones at that location.

Grimm spoke at the Paris Auto Show and told Australian journalists that the time for an i20 hot hatch was now, as 10 months have passed since the N brand was formally introduced.

He said that the N brand i20 would be a lot like the one that appears in the WRC. That would mean a sporty model that would likely have a 250-hp 1.6-liter turbo engine under the hood.

Grimm went on to say that the believes that the i20M would have the same 1.6-liter powerplant found in the Hyundai Veloster Turbo an Kia Pro_cee’d GT, albeit with more of a punch being packed into the i20 hot hatch.

A number of chassis upgrades would need to be made to the i20N in order to ready it for such a jolt of power.

You can bet that Hyundai are up to the challenge, though, especially as this will basically be an homage to the WRC car.

Expect more powerful brakes, bigger tires, a sports suspension, full body kit, and perhaps even some adjustments to the steering.

Expect the i20N to go up against the likes of the Volkswagen Polo R, Renault Clio RS, Opel Corsa OPC and Ford Fiesta ST.

What’s not so clear at this point is whether this will be a 5-door model like the one seen in Paris, or a 3-door like we have seen in sketch form!