The Hyundai Kona N performance SUV is on the final stretch – amid tightening emissions regulations that make plans for a next-generation model unlikely.
The 2023 Hyundai Kona N small performance SUV may be entering its final months in Australian showrooms, as an all-new generation of the standard Kona looms – with no N version on the horizon.
Dealers have been advised the first models in the new Hyundai Kona range is due in Australian showrooms in June or July, pending any further delays, with the option of an N Line variant.
But Hyundai has confirmed a Kona N performance version will not be available at launch – and Drive understands it is unlikely to follow at a later date.
MORE: 2023 Hyundai Kona model range outlined, due in Australia mid-year
In the meantime, the current Kona N is expected to have a few months left in production – based on the timing of the new-generation standard model.
Hyundai Australia is yet to confirm an end of production date for the current Kona N, and when orders are planned to close.
As reported by Drive in January, the company received a boost in stock of 212 vehicles from the factory in South Korea, intended to trim wait times amid limited stock and a recent pause on orders for its i30 N hatch twin under the skin, which is also due to be phased out in the coming years.
MORE: Hyundai i30 Sedan N and Kona N stock boost
Although the new Hyundai Kona is related under the skin to the i30 Sedan N performance car, the chances of a new Kona N appear slim, amid tightening emissions rules in Europe, where about one-quarter of all Kona Ns are sold.
Hyundai head office said in a statement shared with Drive: “Production of an all-new, high-performance Kona N will be considered later. The company has presented its high-performance electrification vision through RN22e and N Vision 74 [concept cars].”
International reports indicate the largest turbocharged engine planned for the new Hyundai Kona range is the 1.6-litre four-cylinder in the N Line model – rather than the 2.0-litre mill in today’s Kona N, or Hyundai’s 2.5-litre turbo engine, which is capable of 213kW in the Sonata N Line sedan.
MORE: Next-generation Hyundai Kona N in doubt
When asked in December 2022 if a new Hyundai Kona N is planned, Albert Biermann – former boss of Hyundai N turned Hyundai executive technical advisor – told Australian media: “Right now, Hyundai Europe is in EV [electric vehicle] heaven.
“Having Kona EV, Ioniq 5 EV, they are so happy selling those EVs and they’re not really fighting to get a Kona with a combustion [petrol] engine, to continue into a next-generation [Kona N].
“It could have been possible until Euro 7 [emissions rules] starts. There could be a stretch of four years or so on a next-generation [Kona N] with a combustion engine, but the EV heaven is just too charming and too enjoyable right now to our salespeople. So they are really not fighting for it.”
About a quarter of Hyundai Kona N sales occur in Europe – and it appears there is not enough volume in Australia, the US and other markets to justify a new-generation model.
Mr Biermann ruled out an N performance version of the new Kona Electric, as its 400-volt electric drivetrain technology would not be capable of race-track driving, unlike Hyundai N’s upcoming 800-volt electric cars.
The death of the Kona N would see it join the i30 N hatchback, which is due to be phased out in the coming years – and the future of the smaller i20 N hot hatch beyond the current generation is also under a cloud.
It would leave Hyundai N with one petrol-powered performance car by the end of the decade, the i30 Sedan N – which has been confirmed to receive another generation, expected in 2026 based on typical model life cycles.
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