Hyundai had launched its N performance division back in December 2013, with the first car for the brand being the i20 WRC vehicle that participated in the 2014 WRC season. Now the brand is expected to be preparing its first road-going N performance car in the form of a hotter i30 hatchback.

Pictures of the hatchback have surfaced on the web, showing an i30 with a lowered suspension, a thinly camouflaged front bumper and extra gauges mounted on its dashboard, testing at the Nürburgring.

Though two years away from production, Hyundai’s WRC boss Michel Nandan confirmed to our sister publication, Autocar UK that the hotter i30 would spearhead the introduction of the company’s N division to its road cars. He also confirmed that the hatchback would use WRC-derived turbocharging technology, along with a high-performance engine and sporty suspension.

The high-performance i30 is expected to go head to head with the likes of the 296bhp Volkswagen Golf R and the 345bhp Ford Focus RS, though Nandan said that engine output was still under consideration. Hyundai is also said to be working on a hardcore version of the i20 hatchback that will be launched soon after the i30.

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