Hyundai used Auto Shanghai to provide a better look at the coming Elantra N in the performance sedan’s natural element — being Performance Blue with red accents. The new sedan adopts looks similar to the 2024 Sonata and Sonata N that debuted last month. Starting from the top, front fascia has been reworked likely for reasons of cost — the complex clamshell hood and two-section headlights are gone. Fenders that rise higher on the car create traditional hood shut lines. The headlights point at the horizon-line units on the Sonata but don’t go all the way, with a metallic strip providing reflection but no illumination. The blacked-out face underlined by a body-color lower intake frame on today’s car is cut into clearer horizontal and vertical sections. A black bumper bisects matters laterally, while taller, slanted stanchions create a larger lower intake.
Hyundai provided no specs, so we’re not sure if the current 2.0-liter engine provides the bang. Former N head Albert Biermann told an Australian outlet their version of the Elanta N, the i30 Sedan N, would show with a new gas engine. We don’t know what that means for our market. The current motor makes 286 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of torque. That gets shifted through a six-speed manual or eight-speed dual-clutch to a limited-slip diff on the front axle. The stoplight sprint to 60 mph takes 5.1 seconds.
Aft of the fenders, we note two changes along the sides. There’s a more colorful “N” on the sill extensions, and a spanking new set of 19-inch wheels that look like Hyundai’s take on telephone dial rims a few Italian brands are known for.
In back, a deeper diffuser graphic extends across the width of the bumper and stretches around to the sides of the car, reaching the rear wheel arches. This extends the red underlining as well. Red reflectors sit up higher on the bumper, helping create two distinct zones out back, complementing the front.
Hyundai calls the rework “a new aggressive look that emphasizes the low and wide stance inspired by motorsports competition.” That’s a nod to the TCR World Tour, a customer-focused touring car race series evolved from the World Touring Car Cup. The Hyundai Elantra N TCR seen sharing photos with the Elantra N above won both the driver’s championship for pilot Mikel Azcona and the team’s championship for BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse.
Now that the car is out, we expect a debut sometime later this year.
