Just two years ago, things looked pretty grim for ICE-powered vehicles in the European Union. The drive to ban all gas-powered car sales—including hybrids—was forging ahead, leading manufacturers to take drastic steps to improve their EV offerings to stay relevant.
Fast-forward to today, and the future seems a lot murkier. As my colleague Matt Hardigree wrote last week, it seems like EU officials are finally beginning to realize widespread EV mandates just won’t work for a large swath of the population. Manufacturers are realizing this, too, which is why they’re walking back their aggressive EV adoption and putting gas-powered cars back in the product pipeline.
One such brand is Hyundai’s N division. The performance arm of the Korean automaker previously claimed it’d be going all-electric in Europe, before walking back those plans earlier this year. Now, rumors are festering of Hyundai resurrecting its most exciting N car—a car that I thought was dead for good.
Here’s Why This Is A Big Deal
Hyundai launched the N sub-brand in 2014, but it wasn’t until three years later that the car in question, the i30 N, entered the European market. It caught auto journalists off guard with just how good it was, a sentiment that carried itself overseas to America, where its sibling, the Veloster N, was met with great praise from everyone who drove it (including yours truly).
This success was thanks in part to Albert Biermann, a German poached by Hyundai who previously ran BMW’s M division, who took the reins at N back in 2014. He ensured engineers focused on making the cars fun to drive, rather than the best competitors on spec sheets.
The N brand received lots of positive press from the media regarding those two cars, as well as the smaller i20 N, the bigger Kona N, and the interesting-looking Elantra N. Later, it would have another hit on its hands with the Ioniq 5 N, which is still the most enjoyable electric car I’ve driven.
Back in 2023, when all of Europe thought it would transition to EV power, N made the bold move to drop its ICE-powered models indefinitely, effectively killing off the i20 N and the i30 N. From Motor1:
Hyundai Motor has decided to cease production of ICE N models for the European market during the first half of the year. This follows the brand’s commitment to offer European customers a zero-emission product range by 2035 and to be 100 percent carbon neutral in all phases of car production and operation by 2045.
For the past year or so, the only N car you could buy in Europe was the Ioniq 5 N. Everyone rationally assumed it would be EV only for the sub-brand from here on out, but head honcho for the division, Joon Park, made it clear in June that this was no longer the case. From Autocar:
“The problem that we have is that there is a perception from the media and our fans that Hyundai N is only focusing on the EV world, which is not true,” he said.
“Even though we are going to introduce the Ioniq 6 N at Goodwood Festival of Speed, we are not limiting ourselves to EVs.”
Three months later, Hyundai announced it would be expanding its N brand to sell at least eight vehicles by 2030. Hope, yet again.
I Hope The i30 N Returns, Even If We Never Get It
That hope grew five times in size today when I saw this report from Autocar claiming Hyundai would revive the i30 N for another generation. Sure, Hyundai never sold the i30 N in America, but this is still excellent news.
Having been one of the few American journalists to actually get behind the wheel of an i30 N, I maintain it’s the most enjoyable of the N cars. It was basically just a slightly better-dialed, more practical version of the Veloster N, which was already a fantastic car.
More importantly, Hyundai bringing back the i30 N would mean a renewed interest from the brand to keep the combustion-powered N cars coming, rather than letting the models in production eventually die off. It’s doubtful the i30 N would ever come to the U.S., but our market might still benefit from whatever powertrain the company develops for that car (say, for a next-gen Elantra N and Kona N).
I’m not shaming N’s electric offerings; as I mentioned before, the Ioniq 5 N is excellent. But even the best electric cars can’t appeal to buyers who don’t want them. The Ioniq is also $67,800, which is a lot of money. The Elantra N, meanwhile, is a $35,595 car. ICE vs. EV aside, affordability means a lot to people.
One interesting tidbit: According to Autocar’s source, the upcoming i30 N revival will be hybridized. That tracks, considering just how tough it is to get an ICE powertrain to pass through Europe’s already very stringent emissions laws. Whether that means it’ll lose the manual, well, I’m not sure. Manual hybrids are a thing, but they’re incredibly rare. One can only hope the N division sees the importance of rowing your own in the driving experience.
Top graphic image: Hyundai
The Kona is essentially the same chassis as the Veloster; they even share a significant number of suspension parts.
I simply adore my Kona N as a practical and fun daily driver.
I have one too! There are dozens of us! DOZENS!
I would have, but the family car is the wife’s daily, and she insisted on 3 pedals
I also liked/read about the i30/20 that never came to America. That Elantra GT hatch we got for a short while several years ago was sort of similar, but not as refined. Velosters are OK, but TBH, I’d rather have the higher sitting position and roof of a ‘regular’ hatch.
I’ve never owned a Hyndai or Kia yet, but it’s only a matter of time I think.
The i30 and the i20 both look way better than the Elantra N offered stateside. Hyundai really doubled down with the heinous matte black painted front facia. Also, hatchback.
A friend of mine that races has a Veloster N as his daily. He used to be a BMW guy owning a 1st Gen M Roadster and a early 2000’s 3 series. He says in many ways the Veloster N is better if it isn’t outright faster.
I love hatches and it was on my shortlist when shopping earlier this year for a new-to-me car.
When did we stop just throwing a bigger engine in the base econobox and giving it some better shocks?
It’s a great solution to the “cheap enthusiast daily” demographic. Hell, it’d work on my wife, who isn’t a car person per se. She just wants ‘Mo Powah Baby.
Big engine in small car runs afoul of CAFE, especially if you sell a ton of them.
Ah yes, the things we wrote specifically to favour larger vehicles.
They’re the reason I don’t have a Nissan Micra with the Altima 2.5, or a Honda Fit with a K24 from factory.
I so wanted a Fit Si
Hear me now and understand me later: Hyundai has been doing heroic work with their N cars for years. Veloster, Kona, i30, Elantra, Ioniq…hell, even my Sonata N-Line is spectacular (it’s an N for dads).
If you are a driving enthusiast you need to consider an N.
If you’re determined enough, any of them can do dad duty. My VN has carried both my daughters home from the hospital, fully family of 4 trips with big jogging stroller, and is the main school drop-off/pickup car.
For any curious parents wondering how: I currently have the removable baby carrier setup behind the driver’s seat, and the rear-facing seat for the 3yr-old behind the passenger. Did have to be careful to select the smallest seats we could find though, but nothing crazy. Regular Graco stuff.
Takes some weird angling to get the baby carrier through the awkward driver’s door, but it works. I’m 6ft and just have to shift my seat forward an inch and maybe angle my seat a tiny bit more upright if the baby carrier is behind me.
I do really wish we got the i30N though. That extra rear door would go a long ways toward rounding out the full family function of it.
Overall don’t let kids be the reason to not have a fun car!
You mean front-facing, right? 3 is a bit old for a rear-facing seat.
100% with you on the fun dad car. I drove an Infiniti G35 while my daughter was in car seats and she loved when I’d take corners at speed! The G35 was plenty of car for a family of 3, and would have been good enough for a fourth if needed.
And now days, when she is home from college, I teach her the joy of third-pedal driving in my Mini.
It’s by height and weight, mostly weight. Ours is rear facing until 40lbs, and we seem to make really small girls. She’s still not even 30lbs.
I think the 3yr old is in the grey zone where we could put her forward facing if we needed to, but the guidelines say to leave rear facing as long as possible.
Designs must have changed over the last 15 or so years. I can’t recall ever seeing a rear-facer that could hold a 30 lbs kid.
Yeah, but it went beyond babying…I went in and drove the Elantra N and loved it, then saw the Sonata N-Line and took it for a ride and knew it was the better choice for me- smoother and quieter but still fast as hell, but not in the same league as the Elantra N. Not even close in terms of being a hardcore sports car, but I have a ’91 Miata for my sports car jollies!
Oh man I think I’m old.
I know I’m old. I have a ’17 V6 Accord and it’s ridiculously over-powered for a car that is only FWD.
In 2012, I drove a relatively tame Hyundai I45 in Australia and it seemed perfectly competent. The equivalent model is sold in the US as a Sonata.
But my Honda is generally gently driven, well-maintained and only has ~70K miles on it. So, unless something bad happens, it will be a while before I will need to go shopping.
I had a ’13 Accord coupe V6 with the 6 speed stick. That car was ridiculously fast. The downside was Honda thought giving it a “sporty” suspension meant making it ride like it was trying to crush rocks.
That is what I love about my Sonata N-Line. Sure, the lack of a LSD makes it have no idea how to put the power down from a stop, but it offers a fantastic ride…feels like a German car. A key reason I bought it.
But long live Accord V6s in any configuration!
Well, the V6 is gone for the Accord. My ’17 was the last year they put it in one of those. Once broken in, I tested its acceleration a couple of times and despite no LSD, it roasted both front tires equally in first and second gear and then there was a slight chirp shifting to third at a very illegal speed. Even in Texas. But that was on crap OEM Goodyear Eagle LS tires.
Being a sedan, the suspension is tuned more for comfort than ultimate grip. I do need to take it to a track day and explore its limits of adhesion (on better Contis now). For fun anyway. Probably good to know its limits. Maybe I will give myself a track day for my birthday.
I do know that its ABS system is very good, diving off a 75 mph two lane road over rumble strips, off the shoulder into grass when some idiot in a pickup truck was coming towards me trying to make a pass that he (I assume it was a he) didn’t have anywhere near the amount of space he/she/they needed to pull it off. The car handled it fine. It did elevate my heart rate, I’m sure.
Even on the GYs, I never have come close to making the tires squeal going around corners on real roads.
I think it’s going to understeer. I had an ’84 Tercel 4×4 wagon that would understeer and then suddenly oversteer when you let off the gas. That was mildly entertaining.
I visited my cousin in the north of Spain and I got to drive his i20N through some sweet back roads.
Let me tell you that thing was super crazy fun.
If they sold those here I would’ve immediately bought one when I got back.
Last year’s WRC Champion!
god i wish we got the i20N and Polo GTI in the US
For the life of me I can’t figure out why car manufacturers didn’t keep at least one or two good selling ICE vehicles going,
As someone who has long stanned my formerly beloved 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT across the hallowed pages of this site, it warms my heart to find a companion in the fight to give the Elantra GT/i30 the respect it deserves.
My parents had the Touring (wagon); the interior did not do the car justice. Nor did the slop in the shift lever for any sporting intentions. It was a very good car.
I’d have bought this over my Kona N if they sold it stateside, but alas. Anyway I hope the little 2 liter gets to live for another generation because it’s a feisty little overachiever of a motor. Easily the best and most characterful 4 cylinder I’ve ever had the pleasure of dancing with, but of course I’m biased.
I’m now wondering if they’ll consider a second-generation Kona N.
Don’t threaten me with a good time!
The i30 looks SO much better than the Veloster. Holy smokes.
Agreed – the first time I saw it I thought “Focus ST in the front, Golf GTI at the back”. Far better proportions than the Veloster, and probably quite a bit more practical too.
Have you seen the fastback or wagon versions? They’re smoking hot.
It looks a lot better and considerably more comfortable / practical to drive than a Veloster.
I like the i20N even more.