The Hyundai Kona powered by dinosaur juice will make its global debut in a more powerful N variant by the end of this month. Hyundai will also share information on its ideas to collaborate between its N and EV division.
Hyundai has confirmed that the Kona N will be showcased digitally on April 27, 2021. Alongside the more powerful Hyundai Kona, Hyundai officials will also put some light on the brand’s plans to spice the EV division with an N badge. Hyundai uses N-line nomenclature for their mildly sporty vehicles, while the N suffix is reserved for the full-blown (most powerful) Hyundai cars. While ome enthusiasts believe that the 'N' stands for the sacred Nurburgring – where most manufacturers develop the sporty versions of their cars – it actually implies the manufacturer’s R&D centre in Namyang, just south of its headquarters in Seoul, Korea.
April 27 will also be observed as the Hyundai N day, which will be dedicated to its sporty, more enthusiastic cars.
So far, Hyundai had been tweaking its sedans and hatchbacks to make them sporty. This is the first time that Hyundai will unveil its sporty crossover SUV. Now, the Hyundai Tucson N-line that broke cover in January this year wasn’t the most powerful iteration of the Tucson. That's why the Kona is the first crossover SUV to get the N badge before the Tucson. However, the Tucson N could be on cards, and a more powerful Korean crossover SUV could break cover by 2022.
While the specifications haven’t been confirmed, the Hyundai Kona N could share its drivetrain with its sibling, the Hyundai i30 N, and could be tuned to have a power output north of 275bhp. The highlight could be the all-wheel-drive system, which has been missing from Hyundai’s N division cars.
Picture of the standard Hyundai i20 for reference
How relevant is the Hyundai Kona N for the Indian market?
The Hyundai Kona N will not be made available to us in India. The Hyundai Kona that we know of is the one that was launched in 2019 and was powered by electricity. However, Hyundai India has confirmed to autoX that the company is readying the recently launched i20 in N-line form – pictures of which have been surfacing the internet already. Expect some cosmetic changes for now and a set of 17-inch alloy wheels. Paddle shifters, which were given a miss in the Hyundai i20, could be offered with the Hyundai i20 N-line. Stay tuned to autoX for more dough on the Korean brand’s plans to cater to the enthusiasts of India.
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