The Hyundai i30 N burst onto the scene in 2017 and immediately put the hot hatch market on notice, offering up an exhilarating performance package at an affordable price. However, it is not expected to survive through to a second generation and will likely be replaced by an all-electric model.
While recently speaking with the media at the recent Hyundai N Festival in Australia, Hyundai executive technical advisor Albert Biermann revealed that impending Euro 7 regulations in Europe will likely kill off the i30 N hot hatch after just one generation.
Read: Driven: 2022 Hyundai i30 Sedan N Pushes Performance To New Heights
“Markets like Europe are dreaming and there’s a good chance there will be no further combustion engine N cars in some markets with Euro 7 regulations looming,” Biermann revealed.
It’s not all bad news, however. Biermann went on to reveal that the i30 Sedan N (sold in most markets as the Elantra N) probably will survive through to a second generation “with a new petrol engine, as it’s already in our long-range plans,” he revealed to Car Expert.
Biermann added that a compact model to replace the existing i30 N hatch will likely come in the form of an EV, but noted “it might take some time to get there, to get it right.”
Hyundai will soon unveil its first N-developed EV in the form of a performance variant of the Ioniq 5. The car is expected to share its powertrain with the Kia EV6 GT, meaning it will sport a 77.4 kWh battery pack and a pair of electric motors delivering a combined 577 hp and 546 lb-ft (740 Nm) of torque. It should be able to hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in 3.5 seconds and like other N models, should be well-equipped for use on a racetrack thanks to retuned suspension and a thoroughly upgraded braking system.
