--- title: "Here’s Hyundai’s Mid-Engined Sports Car Prototype Out Testing With Hybrid Power" description: "And our math shows it could have close to 400 horsepower." date: "2020-03-31" modified: "2020-03-31" authors: - name: "James Gilboy" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/32829/heres-hyundais-mid-engined-sports-car-prototype-out-testing-with-hybrid-power" categories: - "Hyundai News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "hybrid" - "Hyundai" --- # Here’s Hyundai’s Mid-Engined Sports Car Prototype Out Testing With Hybrid Power ![]() *\www.thedrive.com\* With the [Hyundai Veloster-based RM19]() all but confirmed to be a testbed for a potential mid-engined sports car, fans of affordable midship machinery are hanging their hopes on Hyundai—[not Toyota]()—to make the mid-engined dream a reality for mortals again. And as of Tuesday, that dream's alive and kicking like a mule, because a new mid-engined Hyundai has been spotted on a flatbed in Korea, wearing the name "MR23T." A photo of the Hyundai MR23T (likely just a prototype codename, not a model nameplate) surfaced Tuesday on the forum of [Bobaedream](), which appears to be South Korea's equivalent of Autotrader. Like the RM19, the MR23T shares most of its bodywork with the Veloster N, though its large rear-fender intakes out it as a mid-engined car rather than a run-of-the-mill, front-engined Veloster. While the original poster couldn't offer any specifics on the MR23T, possible details of the prototype found their way to the English-language internet in a post on [*The Korean Car Blog*](). Citing sources presumably within Hyundai or one of its suppliers, the blog alleges that the MR23T is powered by a 2.3-liter turbocharged engine with direct injection, whose power isn't known. Assuming this engine offers the same power density as the smaller 2.0-liter "Theta II" GDI found in the Veloster N, which generates 271 horsepower, the 2.3 GDI on its own could produce around 312 horsepower, and that's without the hybrid assist *KCB* claims it'll get from an 80-horsepower electric motor. Add these two numbers together, and you'll get a figure almost identical to the 390 horsepower produced by the RM19. *KCB*'s source reportedly added that the MR23T's Veloster body is only being used to test the powertrain, whose final implementation could be a radically different vehicle. Coincidentally, Hyundai's executive vice president of product and strategy Thomas Schemera, stated while at the head of the *N* performance division that the brand was [brainstorming ideas for a halo car](), one which *N*'s new head and former BMW M boss Albert Biermann says [could go for the throat of entry-level Porsches](). Regardless of what the RM19 and MR23T portend of Hyundai's sports car plans, it's clear the Korean carmaker won't let its first mid-engined sports car go off like a wet firecracker. Assuming [the delightful Veloster N]() sets the standard for hot Hyundais, the Porsche Cayman may soon have a challenger to the mid-engined throne. *Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com* ## Author James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids." ### Author social links [Instagram]()