Hyundai has entered an area of the market that we haven’t seen in the past with performance on the mind and speed as a new goal.
Hyundai has rolled out the N Performance Division with three official launches already, only one of which is making its way to the US right now, and we’re wondering if this division will create a halo car that shows off what can be done. Right now, the leadership of the N sub-brand, Albert Biermann, formerly of the BMW M Division, doesn’t think a halo car is needed. Instead, the feeling of getting into a routine of building the N cars is more important to him.
The Conversation Doesn’t Stop There
Typically, you might think the discussion would end with Biermann who has been credited with the N sub-brand and the Kia Stinger to make these two Korean brands more interesting and show off cars that can compete with performance. Unfortunately, other leaders at Hyundai have hinted that a halo car is in the works which could be the partner of the Kia Stinger on the road but wear the Hyundai N brand badging. This team has given us a look at what could be a halo car in the past with the RM 16.
What is the Hyundai RM16?
The RM16 is a car that showed up as a mid-engine prototype of the Veloster RM. This car showed up in 2014 originally as the early version of the car and then again in 2015 as the RM15 before being remade for the third time as the RM16. This car showed up a performance spec sheet that includes a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that offers 296 horsepower, an electric compressor, an electronic differential, RWD, and a six-speed manual transmission. This car, with the engine in the middle, could hint at a halo car for the future of the N brand.
Another Hint at a Halo from Hyundai
Earlier this year, there was a tale of a new Theta III engine that’s being created for both front and rear-drive cars with a mid-engine application. This engine could be offered and have the tuning that would bring the power level up to 350 horsepower. This much power leads us to believe there could be a mid-engine Hyundai sports car in the near future. While the evidence of this fact is so far circumstantial but it could be a reality in the next couple of years and be the future N Performance halo car.
Leaning on the i30 N for Now
According to Biermann, the current halo car is the i30 N, which we don’t get to see in the US, but maybe we will in the future. This car is one that’s already been successful and is leading the way. As you can see, Biermann has a focus on developing the cars that are already part of the company in order to spread the N name to more models, which may be similar to what we’ve seen at BMW. Even so, it seems there might be a new halo car with incredible speed and power in the future.
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