Hyundai N Hints At Standalone Mid-Engined Model
Could it be the Racing Midship concept come to life?
Khodrocar - The arrival of Hyundai’s N performance division added some necessary grunt to the Korean marque’s range. The i30 and the Veloster were the first two vehicles to receive the sporty treatment. But now Hyundai could up the ante even further with a standalone N-branded sports car – and it could mean the first-ever mid-engined vehicle for the brand.
Former BMW M boss turned head of Hyundai’s N division, Albert Biermann, said in an interview with Top Gear that he has more "freedom" to develop the products he wants. That includes continued work on the Racing Midship (RM) concept – Hyundai’s mid-engined hot hatchback that first showed up back in 2014 – and the potential for a production model.
"Yeah, we have been working on this," said Biermann. "Like the Racing Midship, which we’ve done three versions of. We are still working on these cars, trying different things. Maybe someday we will have such a car. There is no decision yet, but it could happen."
To date, Hyundai has built three iterations of the RM concept. In 2014, the RM14 – based on the outgoing Veloster – showed up with 295 horsepower (219 kilowatts). Just a year later, the lightly modified RM15 debuted with a 429-pound (195-kilogram) weight loss. And in 2016, the RM16 N marked the most significant revision to date, riding on an all-new platform and producing 300 hp (223 kW).
Spy photos have hinted at the RM16 N’s production possibility, and Biermann has already promised two new N models after the i30 (the first being the Veloster). Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a while to see the proposed vehicle on the road.
"We are just starting," says Biermann. "Our sales network is not used to performance cars, and we need to take a little time. Spreading out too many cars too fast is not the right thing. If we started with a bespoke car in the first place, people would have no idea what to do with such a car."
Former BMW M boss turned head of Hyundai’s N division, Albert Biermann, said in an interview with Top Gear that he has more "freedom" to develop the products he wants. That includes continued work on the Racing Midship (RM) concept – Hyundai’s mid-engined hot hatchback that first showed up back in 2014 – and the potential for a production model.
"Yeah, we have been working on this," said Biermann. "Like the Racing Midship, which we’ve done three versions of. We are still working on these cars, trying different things. Maybe someday we will have such a car. There is no decision yet, but it could happen."
To date, Hyundai has built three iterations of the RM concept. In 2014, the RM14 – based on the outgoing Veloster – showed up with 295 horsepower (219 kilowatts). Just a year later, the lightly modified RM15 debuted with a 429-pound (195-kilogram) weight loss. And in 2016, the RM16 N marked the most significant revision to date, riding on an all-new platform and producing 300 hp (223 kW).
Spy photos have hinted at the RM16 N’s production possibility, and Biermann has already promised two new N models after the i30 (the first being the Veloster). Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a while to see the proposed vehicle on the road.
"We are just starting," says Biermann. "Our sales network is not used to performance cars, and we need to take a little time. Spreading out too many cars too fast is not the right thing. If we started with a bespoke car in the first place, people would have no idea what to do with such a car."
Source: motor1.com
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