If you’re a fan of Hyundai’s performance cars—or just fun cars in general—then we’ve got some good news for you: More are on the way. Hyundai’s Olabisi Boyle, senior vice president of product planning and mobility strategy, confirmed as much with The Drive in a one-on-one interview.
“We are expanding N. You will have more N models in three, four years,” Boyle told us. “ I won’t say which ones.”
She wasn’t kidding. We pressed for more, but despite our best efforts, Boyle wasn’t forthcoming with any helpful hints. She did indirectly acknowledge the division between potential XRT and N models, but dodged our attempts to elicit a commitment on any of them—or whether they’d be electric or gasoline.
So far, Hyundai has allowed its N division to dabble in a little bit of everything, from compact sedans and (weird but also hilariously fun) “four”-door hatchbacks to a front-wheel drive crossover and a pair of stupidly quick and surprisingly agile EVs. While she didn’t explicitly rule anything out, she did imply that Hyundai won’t necessarily try to force an N model when it doesn’t suit the car’s character.
“We will only expand it on the things that it make sense on,” Boyle told us.
Put another way, don’t expect an Ioniq 9 N. Even its sportier cousin, the Kia EV9, gets a somewhat watered-down GT version. An XRT is probably more likely, but that’s a subject for another time.
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