Hyundai Motor to unveil high-performance models in H2

Hyundai Motor Co.’s Elentra N [Photo provided by Hyundai Motor]

Hyundai Motor Co. will release a series of high-performance models later this year, targeting global markets, including China and North America, as the company aims to further enhance its brand image by speeding up performance, in addition to its strategies to pursue high-end automation and electrification.

According to industry sources on Monday, Hyundai Motor plans to release the new, high-performance Elantra N in China in October and in North American in November, with a scheduled release at home in October. The Elentra N is a high-performance sedan of the modified version of the New Elantra, which was launched in March.

In April, Hyundai Motor officially announced the N brand’s entry into the Chinese market during the Shanghai International Motor Show, which should be a game changer for the automaker that has been struggling in the Chinese market, with a market share of only 1.7 percent in 2022. Instead of reducing its existing lineup in China to eight models from 13, Hyundai plans to focus on the N brand in Shanghai and its surrounding areas.

Hyundai Motor also aims to continue the success of the Elantra series in North America with the latest model in the series later this year, following the release of the Elantra N there in 2021. The regular Elantra model is the best-selling Hyundai Motor car in the U.S.

In July, the automaker will unveil an N-brand electric vehicle, as it plans to introduce its first high-performance EV, the Ioniq 5 N, during the U.K. Goodwood Festival of Speed. Hyundai Motor plans to introduce the new EV in Korea, the U.S. and China this year before launching it in Japan early next year.