Hyundai’s N division, the company’s dedicated in-house performance brand, isn’t purely set on an electrified future for its models. Despite the launch of the new Ioniq 5 N (our current favorite performance EV, by the way) and the upcoming launch of the Ioniq 6 N at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year, the brand tells Autocar it isn’t solely focused on EVs. In fact, it’s really the opposite.
Hyundai N Wants More Gas Performance Cars
Hyundai said as much at the publication’s yearly awards ceremony. The company’s N division head, Joon Park, suggested that more gasoline-powered models will soon follow the two performance EVs. “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.
– N Divison CEO Joon Park
Hyundai N Plots Its Future
However, the CEO was careful not to give away future product plans. As with so many automakers these days, the strategy now is to offer a diverse mix of gas cars, hybrids, and EVs and wait to see what sells best. The strategy is the same within the N subbrand: “We’re going forward with EVs, of course, as well as all the other proposals we could do.” Hyundai as a whole has the same approach. Next year, it’ll launch its first range-extender (REx) EV in the US, and its lineup of hybrid offerings is similarly set to expand. These powertrains, referenced in the above quote, are also on the table for the N division, which has traditionally spun performance models off existing models in the brand’s lineup.
TopSpeed’s Take
Hyundai does indeed appear to be eyeing the addition of a few new N-branded models to its lineup over the next few years. For one, we’d love to see the N brand’s first dedicated model not based on something already present in Hyundai’s lineup. Perhaps as a rival to the GR 86, Subaru BRZ, and Mazda Miata. The Hyundai brand, neé subbrand Genesis, used to offer a luxury-ish sporty two-door coupe. To see Hyundai dip its toe back into the sports coupe segment in a bid to take on Toyota, Subaru, and Mazda would be something to see.
Source: Autocar
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