Hyundai Kona N coming soon

The next full-flavoured model from Hyundai’s N high-performance division will be revealed by July – and it will be an SUV.

What’s more, the new Hyundai Kona N could eclipse the popularity of the sub-brand's first model, the i30 N, by combining the same piping-hot engine with an SUV body style and, for the first time, an automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

Leaked documents from Korea reportedly reveal the manufacturing start dates of several new Hyundai models at the Ulsan plant outside Seoul, where the fourth-generation Hyundai Tucson is apparently next cab off the rank in May, before it arrives in Australia around the end of 2020.

They also show the Hyundai Kona N – the first N performance version of the Korean brand’s small SUV, aimed directly at the Volkswagen T-Roc R -- will enter production in July.

Generally speaking, Hyundai reveals new models immediately before they are launched and although there's no confirmed launch date for the Hyundai Kona N in Australia, the safe money is on mid-2021.

Hyundai Australia's senior manager of PR, Guido Schenken, declined to comment on anything relating to the Kona N or the leaked production timing, but did leave us with this morsel:

"We've made no secret of the fact our focus is on building an N performance family, and so we will of course be studying the business case for any new N product that should become available."

Translation – expect to see the Kona N in Aussie showrooms within a year, unless the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the Korean brand’s plans.

The Hyundai Kona N is almost certain to be powered by the same tyre-frying 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine (202kW/378Nm) as the i30 N hatch and fastback models, given the Kona shares the same platform as those vehicles.

However, with the adoption of all-wheel drive and an all-new eight-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission, it should shave several tenths of a second off the manual-only i30 N hatch's 0-100km/h time (6.1 seconds).

The hard-charging Hyundai Kona N will rock up after the launch of facelifted versions of the i30 N hatch and fastback models which, according to our latest intel, will be arriving in Australia in early 2021. These models will also pack the new eight-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission, or DCT.

Hyundai N supremo (and former BMW M chief) Albert Biermann previously confirmed the new dual-clutch transmission would have some clever tricks up its sleeve, including launch control and possibly more.

"When we add the double-clutch transmission that will have a strong impact on an i30 N. It’s not a normal transmission, it’s something really special," said Biermann last year.

He also revealed that the facelifted Hyundai i30 N models would get an uptick in power.

"When the eight-speed double-clutch comes we also work a little bit on it … crank a little bit more [engine] power out of it – not too much," he added.

It's not yet clear how much extra muscle the 2.0-litre turbo intercooled four-cylinder petrol engine will get, but a boost from 202kW to around 210kW could be on the cards.

More peak torque – potentially 400Nm to match its German competitors – would give the Kona N and i30 N plenty of ammo to take on hot versions of the new Volkswagen T-Roc SUV and Golf GTI respectively.

Hyundai has also confirmed the next-gen Hyundai N models will get hybrid boosting too, but those models aren't due for several years.

The new Hyundai Kona N is expected to be a serious performance car, with previous spy photos showing the small SUV sporting big wheels wrapped with sticky rubber blasting around the Nurburgring in Germany at full tilt.

Some of the tell-tale performance upgrades include big Brembo brakes, aero bodywork including a roof spoiler, big-bore exhaust outlets and maybe even a couple of bonnet vents.

Stay tuned for more details on the expanding Hyundai N go-fast model range.