

Hyundai has turned to BMW for inspiration (and, sometimes, executives) several times over the past couple of years, and a recent trademark filing suggests that another page from Munich’s playbook has ended up in Seoul. Hyundai recently filed a trademark to protect the N Sport nameplate.
Hyundai registered the N Sport name on February 27, 2025 with the U.S.P.T.O. The brand wrote that it wants to protect the name to potentially use it on a long and diverse list of transportation-related things including cars, motorcycles, locomotives, airplanes, ships, tractors, bicycles, plus parts such as tires, shock absorbers, and wheel bearings—which is standard practice for this type of trademark filings.

The application includes an emblem, which is a little unusual. It looks almost exactly like the existing “N Line” badge. It features the same red and black N, which also appears on full-blown N models, and “Sport” is written in italics on a gray background. The emblem looks ready for production, but Hyundai doesn’t own it yet. Its trademark application is still marked as “awaiting examination,” and it hasn’t been assigned to an examiner yet. Interestingly, the documents reveal that Hyundai has owned N Sport in its home country of South Korea since April 2018.
So, what could N Sport mean in Hyundai-speak? This is pure speculation, but we’re guessing it will appear on mid-range performance models. On the more hardcore end of the spectrum, you’d have the genuine N models such as the Elantra N and the Ioniq 5 N. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you’d have the N Line cars, which usually stand out with a sporty-looking body kit, bigger wheels, and nicely-bolstered front seats.
N Sport cars could fill the gap by offering meaningful performance-related upgrades, including a more powerful engine and a firmer suspension, without encroaching on N’s territory. It’s a proven formula: the Germans have been doing it for years. Take the BMW 3 Series. You’ve got the M3, the M340i, and the M Sport Package that adds Shadowline exterior trim, black door mirror caps, and 19-inch wheels to the entry-level 330i. It’s the same story over at Mercedes-Benz. You can order the AMG C63 S, the AMG C43, or the C300 with an appearance package called AMG Line.
If accurate, the hypothetical Elantra N Sport would be positioned in the middle of the Elantra line-up, like M Sport with BMW. There’s space for it, too. The Elantra N Line, which notably offers trim-specific exterior styling, 18-inch wheels, and front sport seats, comes with a 201-horsepower 1.6-liter turbo-four and starts at $30,170. The Elantra N gets a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder rated at 276 hp, and it carries a base price of $35,545. How about a cool-looking Elantra N Sport with 225+ hp priced somewhere between those two?
Hyundai hasn’t commented on the trademark filing and it hasn’t publicly announced plans to use the N Sport name. And while the logo lends credibility to the idea that the first N Sport-branded Hyundai models are right around the corner, a trademark filing isn’t a guarantee that a new product is on the way. Rolls-Royce Silent Shadow, Subaru STe, Jeep Xtreme Performance, and Lexus LFR are among the numerous names trademarked in the past few years that still haven’t made their way to production. Sometimes a trademark filing is spot-on, however: Ford protected the “Dark Horse” name in June 2022 and launched the first Mustang Dark Horse a couple of months later.
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