Electric Hyundai hot hatchbacks due by 2030

Electric successors to the Hyundai i20 N and i30 N hot hatchbacks may arrive in showrooms before the end of the decade, according to senior executives at the company.

Three of Hyundai’s four N petrol-powered performance cars – the i30 N hot hatch, Kona N SUV, and smaller i20 N hatch – are facing extinction, as new European emissions rules favour electric cars and buyer tastes shift to SUVs.

High-ranking Hyundai N executives say successors to the i20 N and i30 N are on the way with electric power, at prices closer to those of the current N model range.

However, they are not due until closer to 2030, when electric-car batteries and motors are expected to deliver enough performance, driving range and energy density without breaking the bank.

“By 2030 there should be affordable solutions and maybe for like a B-segment [i20-sized] N car, C-segment [i30-sized] N car, for sure,” Albert Biermann, the former boss of Hyundai N who is now an executive technical advisor for the company, told a group of Australian media last weekend.

Hyundai N’s first electric vehicle, the Ioniq 5 N hatchback-turned-SUV, is due next year – but it is expected to cost in excess of $100,000, with twice the power of an i30 N.

While the petrol-powered Hyundai N line-up is expected to shrink, Till Wartenberg – vice president of Hyundai N and motorsport – told assembled media some petrol N cars will be kept around “until we have electrified, high-performance cars from N which might be [at a] lower price tag.”

“We’re discussing to be as long as possible with combustion [petrol] engines. But the regulations – for example Euro 7 – make it almost impossible to go many, many years with combustion engines,” said Mr Warternberg.

“So we were thinking about B and C segments [i20 and i30-sized cars] we can prolong as long as we can. It always depends on the volume and customer requirements, and if they actually have the demand for that time period.

“We never said: ‘We will stop combustion engines and go 100 per cent electric.’ At some point it will be that way, but we would like to phase it out as long as possible.”

Mr Biermann said the company could build a Hyundai i20 N-sized electric car today – but to deliver a competitive price, it would need to compromise on driving range, or use a less advanced 400-volt battery that would hinder its capabilities on weekend track days.

“In a few years from now, there should be affordable technology around [so that] we could go into B or C [segments] with a reasonable car,” said Mr Biermann.

“But nowadays, [to achieve the required price] you will need to compromise either on battery size, or you have to choose a cheap battery, which is [already] out.

“But for N … we do race-track simulations, so go out [for] 20 minutes, full power driving and then you go to do … 350kW full-power charging, 20 minutes later, you go back [out on] the track. With these cheap batteries, it’s just not going to work,” the executive said.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N uses the company’s latest E-GMP architecture, which runs its battery and motors at 800 volts – allowing it to support more advanced motors, batteries and cooling systems for prolonged use on race tracks, a key feature of Hyundai’s N cars.

“You need the finest battery money can buy in mass production [for an N electric car, scale and this is what we have in our E-GMP platform,” said Mr Biermann.

“And now we’ve built tonnes of E-GMP cars for Genesis, for Kia and for Hyundai, so prices are getting more and more reasonable on these components and so I hope at some point we can make this technology also available in small cars.

“Or, we talk entry-level B segment [an i20 N-sized vehicle]. This is where I can see maybe a 400-volt car, just to be affordable.”

While a smaller, circa-40kWh battery would reduce weight, Mr Biermann said an electric N hot hatchback would need at least 60kWh of energy storage to deliver the driving range needed for race-track driving – and the daily grind.

“You need a certain amount of battery to meet some range expectation, especially when you drive on a track. Because then you need so much more energy than cruising around town,” the executive said.

“And even if it’s a smaller car, less heavy – let’s say 1500kg – if you push this car out there, you’d need tonnes of energy. So I cannot see an N car soon in [the] B or C segment with [a] 40kWh [battery]. That makes no sense, 60kWh-plus is where you could start with a small car.”

In the meantime Hyundai’s performance line-up could comprise just one or two $40,000 to $50,000 petrol cars.

If today’s Hyundai hot hatches are not replaced with all-new models, the i30 N hatchback and Kona N SUV could depart showrooms next year, while the i20 N would follow in 2026 if historical six-year model cycles are a guide.

A next-generation Hyundai i30 Sedan N has been confirmed – due in 2026 based on historical model-cycle timing – but it could be the last petrol car standing in showrooms alongside the Ioniq 5 N and any other future electric N cars.