The seventh-generation Hyundai Elantra isn’t that old, but there are already rumors that the automaker will soon replace the sedan. When it does, the next-generation model will likely include a performance N variant, and it won’t have any electrical assist to get in the way of the fun.
Manfred Harrer, the head of Hyundai’s Performance Development Tech Unit, told Australian media, including Drive that reported the quotes, that the US will “receive traditional ICE [internal combustion engine] cars as well.”
One of those engines could be the 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in the new Elantra N. Albert Biermann, the automaker’s former executive technical advisor, said in a 2023 interview that he made sure the engine would fit before he retired.
The Elantra N currently features Hyundai’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that produces 276 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of torque. The bigger engine makes up to 300 hp and 311 lb-ft in the Genesis G70 sedan.
That wouldn’t be a massive increase over the outgoing model, but it would close the gap to the 315-hp Honda Civic Type R and 328-hp Volkswagen Golf R. It’d be on par with the Toyota GR Corolla, and likely cheaper than all three of them, too.
Hopefully, we won’t have to wait long to see the next-gen Elantra and Elantra N, which is sold as the i30 in other markets. The i20 and i30 are already in development, along with next-generation gas and hybrid powertrains, and “N to serve our customers, our fan base,” according to Harrer.
If Hyundai can put the bigger engine in the Elantra N and keep any form of electrification at bay, the automaker could have one of the last pure affordable performance cars on the market by the end of the decade, even if the price creeps toward the $40,000 mark.
The 2025 Elantra N costs $35,595, and if it receives a larger engine, that price is likely to increase when the next-generation version arrives. But you’d be getting a 300-hp family sedan that hopefully still comes with a manual gearbox.
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