Hyundai Motor's high-performance brand "Hyundai N" marked its 10th anniversary and unveiled more than 50 vehicles it has launched so far in one place. It also announced plans to expand its model lineup from the current five to seven or more by 2030 and to raise annual sales to 100,000 units.
Like BMW M, Mercedes-Benz AMG, and Audi RS, Hyundai N is a brand attached to higher-performance versions within the same model line. It showcases race car-level vehicles that compete in motorsports to prove its technology and elevate brand value.
Hyundai Motor held a ceremony on 18th at the "N Archive" in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, to mark the 10th anniversary of N's launch. The N Archive is a space created to store, restore, and manage more than 50 models released after the brand's debut, including the Veloster N, Kona N, Avante N, Ioniq 5 N, and i20 N.
Park Jun-woo, executive director of Hyundai Motor's N Management Office, said, "There have been many difficulties over the 10 years since N launched," and noted, "Expanding the brand's base into the high-performance segment, winning in motorsports, and writing various symbolic chapters in high-performance electrification (the transition to electric power) was by no means easy."
Hyundai Motor plans to gradually increase the number of vehicles in the N Archive. The N Archive also stores vehicles that actually competed in domestic and international motorsports such as the World Rally Championship (WRC) and Touring Car Racing (TCR). The company plans to keep adding cars currently active in competition and to manage not only vehicles but also parts.
The Ioniq 6 N, slated for launch at the end of this year, was also on display at the N Archive. The Ioniq 6 N is the second high-performance electric vehicle following the Ioniq 5 N. Using "N Green Boost," which delivers maximum acceleration, peak output reaches 478 kW (650 horsepower), and the time from a standstill to 100 kilometers per hour is 3.2 seconds.
Hyundai Motor decided to expand the N model lineup, currently consisting of five (▲Ioniq 5 N ▲Ioniq 6 N ▲Avante N ▲i20 N ▲i30 N), to seven or more by 2030. It plans to develop not only internal combustion engines but also hybrid (HEV) models and to keep pushing electrification. The goal is to raise annual sales to 100,000 units. That is more than four times last year's sales of 23,451 units.
Hyundai N's cumulative global sales reached 146,779 units through August this year. More than 90% of the total were sold overseas (133,585 units), including the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, while domestic sales came to 13,194 units. The most popular models overseas were the i30 N (57,689 units), Avante N (24,681 units), and i20 N (21,403 units), while in Korea it was the Avante N (7,432 units).