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The next-gen i30 N engine is nearing production, with prototype versions undergoing heavy stress testing at the Nurburgring 24-Hour race.
Hyundai’s next-generation i30 N powertrain, although not yet revealed, has just completed a gruelling endurance test at the Nurburgring 24-Hour race.
Speaking to Drive at the finish line, Hyundai N boss Joon Woo Park said the team had pushed hard to get the new engines ready for the world-famous race.
“This attempt, right here, we actually tried to finish this race with our new prototype engine,” Park said.
However, when asked for further details like engine size, Park refused to reveal Hyundai N’s cards too early, but power and torque in the production version is tipped to exceed the current 2.0-litre's 206kW/392Nm outputs.
Both Elantra N1 RP cars, numbered #302 and #303, competed in the SP4T class, which means a turbocharged engine with a displacement size between 2.0 and 2.6 litres.
However, it remains unclear whether electrification will play a part in augmenting performance and helping keep emissions under tightening regulations.
Park told Drive Hyundai’s N division is looking at all options for future models, but – like now – powertrains could be region-specific.
“We are open to everything, we are developing everything [purely petrol, hybrid, electric] at this moment,” Park said.
“We try our best to provide what we can offer to every single different country.”
At this year’s event, the #302 car completed 91 laps, while its sibling managed one less lap, for third and fourth place in the SP4T class – or 108th and 109th overall.
For context, the winning SP4T-class car was a Subaru WRX fitted with a modified version of the production 2.4-litre ‘FA24’ turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine found in the current-generation car.
The winning WRX completed 139 laps during the 24-hour race period, covering approximately 3527km of driving, and was placed 31st overall.
By comparison, the pair of Elantra models (badged as the i30 Sedan in Australia) faced some mechanical issues during the race, but were able to be repaired and return to the track – unlike headline-stealing Max Verstappen Mercedes-AMG GT3.
According to Hyundai, the race experience was invaluable in gathering data “ensuring the performance and reliability of the next generation of engines for the manufacturer’s vehicles”.
It remains unclear exactly when Hyundai will pull the covers off its next-generation N plans after the recent launch of the Ioniq 6 N, but Park ensured driving “fun” remains a top priority.
“Normally I won’t answer a question like this, but what I can say is we’ll keep continuing to provide a lot of fun cars because N is all about fun,” Park said.
Also raced by Hyundai was the Elantra N TCR where the brand took top honours for the sixth consecutive year in that class, which features front-drive models with engines up to 2.0 litres.
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
