When Will Hyundai Launch Its N Cars In India?

At its 2025 CEO Investor Day, Hyundai announced plans to expand the N range to 'more than seven models by 2030.' The N cars have never made it to India so far, but could there be some hope after all? Stick around for this one, we promise you, this will be interesting!

Before we go any further into this discussion, make sure to join the 91wheels WhatsApp Community to keep up with the latest news and automotive updates.

Also read: Hyundai to Launch Extended Range EVs With 960 km Range By 2027 - End of Range Anxiety?

Hyundai N Cars; When Will It Be India's Turn?

For those who do not know, Hyundai's N division is what AMG is to Mercedes-Benz, Abarth to Fiat, M to BMW, and JT....erm, never mind. The car maker will expand the lineup to 'more than seven models by 2030, and it is targeting over 100,000 sales from its N range of cars.

As of now, Hyundai's N range of cars includes the Elantra N, Ioniq 5 N, and the Ioniq 6 N, while the i20 N and i30 N have been discontinued in many markets, but are likely to return as next-gen models. In addition to both EV and ICE, there is going to be a hybrid as well, which is likely to be the next-gen i20 N.

While we are yet to see any of the N cars hit Indian roads, Hyundai has given us a glimpse of its capabilities with its N Line cars. These are sportier-looking versions of the normal i20, Venue and Creta, but these aren't completely performance-focused. Given that the enthusiast segment pales in comparison to the mass-market segment, Hyundai's decision to not get involved is understandable.

However, at the same time, we have players like Volkswagen, who have brought in their Golf GTI. Even though it has been brought in limited numbers, it has found takers, and rumours suggest VW may allocate more units for India. Skoda also seems set to bring in the Octavia RS sometime soon, which will likely be priced around the Rs 65 lakh price bracket.

The Elantra N currently retails at USD 34,350, which translates to about Rs 30.26 lakh without taxes and duties. The Ioniq 5 N is a properly mad EV, which quite frankly does not behave like an EV at all. It retails at USD 66200, which roughly translates to about Rs 58.33 lakh without taxes and duties. With both these cars, Hyundai has the opportunity to show the Indian audience what it is truly capable of on the performance side of things.

Ask any Santro or Creta owner for example, and 9 times out of 10 they will reiterate how satisfied and happy they are with their cars. We can never doubt the focus Hyundai has on practicality and features. Heck, it is one of the few car makers that introduced us to many new things; a very refined common-rail diesel with the Accent, the Sonata which had its looks to die for, the i20 that showed us what a hatchback can truly offer in terms of features, and of course who can forget India's very first tall-boy hatchback?

And let's not forget about the turbo-petrol version of the Grand i10 Nios, which itself was a very under-the-radar pocket rocket. Essentially borrowing the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol unit from the Venue, the Grand i10 Nios Turbo packed a good amount of torque, and in its manual guise was a joy to drive, moving with a lot of enthusiasm. Not to mention, the very subtle hints about its hidden nature with its dual-tone paint scheme, the Turbo badging, and red highlights on the dashboard.

If there is someone who can give us an affordable performance sedan or a performance hatchback, it is Hyundai. Make no mistake, their regular cars are incredible in their own right. Heck, I still think of calling up the folks at Hyundai and ask for a Creta diesel yet again. However, isn't it high time they gave us a taste of the coveted N badge too?