Hyundai’s European division posted a video to YouTube on Tuesday showing the prototype of its upcoming i30 N being tested on a frozen lake. The hot hatch will be the first performance car from its new N performance brand, and is expected to lose its camouflage within the coming months.
The car is based on the recently revealed 2018 i30 — sold in the U.S. as the Elantra GT — which is one of the best-looking models to ever sport a Hyundai badge. However, the i30 N without question is the best-sounding car the Korean automaker has ever built, with its exhaust producing a raspy growl similar to what comes out of the back of a Ford Focus RS.
Hyundai hasn’t released any technical details on the i30 N, but based on the video, it appears to be front wheel drive, positioning it as a competitor for the Ford Focus ST and Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Unfortunately, Hyundai doesn’t plan to sell its first N car stateside, likely fearful it can’t tap into the U.S. hot hatch market as successfully as Ford has. Still, we can’t help but think if Hyundai gave Americans the opportunity to see what its engineers really are capable of, it would have had little trouble building a consumerbase for the i30 N.
Thumbnail photo via Hyundai
