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Weekly Recap For 7.29.16 | Autoblog Minute

A recap of the week in automotive news, including the latest video of Acura's NSX GT3, and the IIHS' most recent Top Safety Pick+ award recipient. Acura Hyundai Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video autos gt3 recap acura nsx gt3

First Hyundai N car coming to US in 2018, and we think we know what it is

SEOUL, South Korea - At the worldwide debut for the all-new Hyundai Kona compact crossover in South Korea, a group of journalists was given a sneak peek at Hyundai's new N performance car division. The group, led by Albert Biermann, has been tasked with giving Hyundai a performance image beyond the occasional car like the Genesis coupe or Veloster Turbo. Its first project, the i30 N, is nearly complete. Unfortunately, it's not coming to the US, though we will be getting our very own N car sometime next year. Now, Biermann and Hyundai will not say what that car is, but all signs point to the Veloster. Hyundai won't comment on future products, but we saw at least three distinct versions of the Veloster testing at Namyang during our visit. There was a standard model with center-mounted trapezoidal exhaust tips. There was a turbo-badged model with two round center-mounted exhaust tips. Finally, we saw what is surely the N model. This had a hidden N badge in the grille (in the same place as the i30 Ns that we saw) and exhaust tips that were pushed to the corners of the bumper. We weren't allowed to take photos of anything, but the new Veloster has the same basic asymmetric shape as before, as seen in some spy photos. The interior looks to be similar to the i30, with a floating infotainment display and a clean and simple layout. Unfortunately, most of the exterior was still covered in camouflage. Despite the parade of cars, there was nothing on the exterior that we haven't seen in spy photos. Other details are scarce, but look for the turbo model to retain the 1.6-liter turbocharged inline four, good for at least 200 horsepower. That should give the N model plenty of breathing room. We believe it will get the same engine as the i30 N, meaning a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four making at least 250 horsepower, possibly more. While we didn't get a chance to drive the i30 N, the cars made all the right noises when blasting about. According to Biermann, it was the sound of tuned Hondas and Kias blasting about Hyundai's R&D facility that really kicked things off with N. Engineers were buying other cars since there wasn't much on offer. Hyundai wanted to give people cars they could track and tune and be just as fast as the competition. We have high hopes for both the Veloster N and the N division as a whole. Biermann was formerly the vice president of engineering for BMW's M division and was in charge of the development of the M3, M4, and M6.

Hyundai previews Brand N performance division

Hyundai has slowly created a presence for its N performance sub-brand since launching the name on the i20 WRC in late 2013, but so far the company has limited the badge to rally cars and concepts. A recent video suggests the moniker might reach the road soon. While Brand N isn't well known yet, Hyundai takes development of its performance credentials quite seriously. The company's European Technical Center at the Nurburgring is handling an increasing amount of the work, and former BMW M GmbH chief engineer Albert Biermann leads the way. He also provides narration for this clip. Beyond the camouflaged hatchback, some of Hyundai's other high-speed machines also make an appearance here. The i20 WRC plays in the dirt a little, but the big star is the wild RM15 concept. Based on the Veloster, it sports a mid-engine, 296-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder driving the rear wheels. The wide-body coupe looks great running around the 'Ring, too. Hopefully it indicates how far Brand N intends to go. Related Video: