Hyundai's smallest performance car will get an encore, but it is poised to trade one pedal for an electrified boost to meet new emissions rules.
EXCLUSIVE
The Hyundai i20 N is set to become the world’s first genuine hybrid hot hatch when the next generation arrives by the end of this decade.
But it may come at the cost of a clutch pedal – and possibly a price as sharp as today’s model – as Hyundai works to keep its smallest N model alive amid tightening emissions rules.
It will form part of an overhauled Hyundai N performance line-up, bridging the gap between the next i30 Sedan N – set to use non-hybrid turbo-petrol power for the US and Australia – and a growing range of supercar-fast electric cars.
On the chopping block is the i30 N hatch, which has dim prospects for a second attempt at life amid the lack of a next-generation i30 hatch on which it can be based.
The next-generation i20 city hatch due in European showrooms in 2026 – pending any delays – is planned to spawn an N version, production plans seen by Drive show.
It is poised to become a hybrid, likely pairing an electric motor with the current model’s 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, which will be upgraded for upcoming Euro 7 emissions rules to ensure it can remain in other Hyundai cars sold in Europe.
Performance details are yet to be revealed, but the hybrid boost could push power closer to 200kW, up from 150kW today – or, alternatively, make up for a detuned petrol engine to help clear emissions rules.
The move to hybrid power is understood to come at a cost, however: the manual transmission.
Few brands have been able to engineer ‘full hybrid’ technology with three pedals – as the car’s computers need to switch between petrol and electric power independently, without a human and a clutch pedal in the way – and it is believed Hyundai will not join the list.
The automatic transmission Hyundai N will call into action for the new i20 N is unclear.
It remains to be seen if it can fit the i30 N's eight-speed dual-clutch auto into the i20's body, or would need to settle for an upgraded version of the seven-speed dual-clutch in regular i20s overseas.
The addition of an automatic transmission, electric motor and battery, plus the larger and stiffer structure inevitable for a new-generation car, all means the next i20 N is likely to be heavier than the 1210kg to 1235kg vehicle it replaces.
Given the eight-speed auto in the i30 N adds 33kg – and an electric motor plus 1.49kWh battery add up to about 100kg to a Tucson SUV – the next i20 N could exceed 1350kg, not far off today's i30 N hatch (from 1447kg).
Alongside weight and complexity, the hybrid technology is likely to add cost.
The current i20 N is priced from $35,500 plus on-road costs – up from an RRP of $32,490 at its launch three years ago – so it is conceivable the new model could start closer to $40,000.
Hyundai has not confirmed the precise future of its smallest N car, but executives have all but confirmed that either the next i20 N or i30 N will be a hybrid.
"It's already in development, the next-generation ICE [petrol] and hybrids, also for N to serve our customers, our fan base," Manfred Harrer, Hyundai Performance Development Tech Unit head, told Australian media including Drive.
"It's a little bit of a challenge right now with all the emissions regulations. ... We are updating the engines right now, we are preparing the engines, we are working on dedicated strategies to bring performance and hybrid together.
"Not only from a drivability or fuel economy side, but also bring the performance idea to this kind of course. This is one of our main tasks right now in the performance team here in Namyang," he said.
Asked if he is confirming the next i20 N and i30 N will be hybrids, he replied: "Definitely one of them has a hybrid, yes.
"And also in the US, you will receive traditional ICE cars as well. Is it an offer worldwide? I don't believe [so] because, especially in Europe with the regulations, I still think we are not offering ICE cars standalone anymore.
"It's too hard with the regulations, to stay compliant with the CO2 regulations, therefore the market in Europe is more on the ICE hybrid side – and for the rest of the world, you [will] see ICE cars, ICE hybrid crossing."
Harrer's comments point to a future N line-up comprised of a hybrid i20 N designed for the European market, alongside a next-generation i30 Sedan N without hybrid tech, aimed at the US and South Korea.
Both vehicles are likely to come to Australia, where emissions regulations are becoming increasingly stringent, but remain half a step behind Europe.
Earlier comments by Albert Biermann – the former BMW M boss who led the creation and growth of the Hyundai N division – suggest the i30 Sedan N will use a 2.5-litre turbo-petrol engine from the Sonata and other new Hyundai models.
The regular version of the new i30 Sedan – sold overseas as the Elantra – is due in showrooms next year, suggesting a new N could follow in 2027.
“I made sure before I left [South Korea as the head of research and development for Hyundai] the Elantra can go on with the 2.5-litre turbo,” the now-retired Biermann, who Harrer succeeds in the top job at N, told Australian media in 2023.
"Technically, it’s possible [to do a new N] … and with the 2.5-litre turbo with stricter emissions regulations, I think we can still have some good level of power, maybe the same level like today. That engine first needs the N treatment, but that’s no problem."
A Hyundai N model not likely to receive a new generation is the i30 N hatch, given there is no next-generation, petrol-powered i30 hatch in the pipeline – though it could return at a later date with electric power.
Crowning the Hyundai N range will be electric cars, the Ioniq 5 N super-sized hot hatch set to be joined by the Ioniq 6 N sports sedan in Australia before the end of next year.
The assured future of the i20 N is a U-turn from the uncertainty surrounding the junior hot hatch expressed by Biermann in interviews three years ago.
"We need a strong voice for i20 N. I need a strong voice from everywhere. As you know, the trend in the industry, all the small cars are dying," Biermann told Australian media in late 2022.
"I'm not saying i20 N will die. I'm not saying i20 will die. There will be an i20 successor, but we have a tough time to get commitments for a [new] i20 N, which is ridiculous."
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
