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Hyundai's first N-performance car is hidden under the RN30 concept

Hyundai is moving ever closer to revealing their first high-performance N brand car, and the RN30 is the latest step in that direction. The concept is based on the new i30 hatchback, which was also revealed in Paris, and shares the engine that will power the i30N that comes out next year. It's obvious that the RN30 isn't a stock car, although the engine is closer to reality than the wild bodywork. The basic block will power the i30's fast sibling, but the rest of the four-cylinder has been given the racing treatment. A bigger turbo and forged internals combine to create 375 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque sent to all four wheels. It also comes with an electronic limited slip differential and a dual-clutch transmission. Don't count on this powertrain coming to market, despite how cool it would be to see a South Korean Focus RS. However, it is a sign the i30N will have a potent foundation. Draped around the powertrain is a race-ready body that is 30 mm wider and 84 mm shorter than the standard i30 and comes with all the requisite vents, wings, and diffusers. Bucking convention, this car not have carbon fiber body panels. For weight savings, Hyundai enlisted the help of BASF to craft some new lightweight plastics for the car. To save more weight, Hyundai gutted the interior down to the bare necessities. Whatever was left was then moved as low as possible, including the seats, to bring down the center of gravity. Although almost everything about the RN30 is about going faster, not all of it is. Or at least not directly. In classic concept car fashion, the RN30 still gets at least one gimmicky feature. On the interior side of each A-pillar is a camera mounted in an image-stabilizing gimbal, and in the top fin, there is another forward facing camera. Hyundai says these record the car on track and the driver, with the idea being that the driver can cut together video of a track day to share with friends. As previously mentioned, don't expect to see the production i30N to pack this much power when it hits the road next year. However, if it comes even remotely close to the performance of this concept, it should be a very entertaining hot hatch. Odds are good that it will come to the US as well, since the i30 will arrive here next spring as the Elantra GT. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Facelifted Hyundai ix35/Tucson shows up

It looks as though Hyundai has readied a facelifted version of its ix35 crossover (known as the Tucson here in the U-S-of-A) for the Geneva Motor Show next week. While we haven't been able to get the Korean automaker to cough up the official details - or more than one image - reports indicate that the new Euro CUV will get revisions to the engine lineup, technology offerings and more.
The Hyundai's sheetmetal has been nipped and tucked from the looks of the photo, with bolder, bi-xenon headlamps and LED running lights the most obvious alterations. Inside we're told to keep an eye out for improved materials and a new, larger TFT infortainment control screen.
Expect clearer intel about both the ix35 and the home-market Tucson no later than next week, and most likely a bit earlier.

Hyundai returns to spark-compression engines with $5 million grant

Ed note: This version adds comment from a Hyundai spokeswoman. Hyundai said Monday it has won a grant worth $4.95 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to support research and development for an advanced, mixed-mode gasoline spark-compression engine, meaning the Korean automaker appears to be back at it in its quest to develop a fuel-efficient, low-emissions gasoline compression engine that can catch the likes of Mazda's Skyactiv-X. Hyundai says the three-year grant will leverage existing work with advanced valve train and previous DOE-funded technologies. Hyundai previously was working on its own HCCI — short for homogeneous charge compression ignition — project, developing a Gasoline Direct-Injection Compression engine with help from Delphi that used supercharging and turbocharging, a high compression ratio and fully variable valve train. But it has never come to fruition, reportedly due in large part to added costs. Hyundai spokeswoman Michele Tinson said the grant will support a new project for the automaker. "It's a departure from the past efforts forging a new direction forward for Hyundai where the fuel and engine combustion modes can be optimized to meet new targets," she said. Tinson said the GDCI project is completing its third round of DOE funding. Hyundai in December said it plans to release 38 environmentally friendly vehicles along with its affiliate Kia, and using a variety of technologies, by 2025. Hyundai alone will account for 18 of them. The aim is to use the spark-compression engines for conventional gasoline-powered vehicles, plug-in hybrids and mild hybrids. "The opportunity to explore mixed-mode engine technology through the DOE's grant signifies Hyundai's commitment to advanced research technology and compression engines," John Juriga, director of powertrain technologies at Hyundai America's Technical Center near Ann Arbor, Mich., said in a statement. "The co-operative research project along with Michigan Technological University and Phillips 66 signifies the importance in developing fuel and engine innovations that work together for optimal vehicle performance and leading fuel economy ratings." Mazda's Skyactiv-X compression-ignition engine uses Spark Controlled Compression Ignition to achieve diesel-like gains in fuel economy — about 20 to 30 percent higher than its current gasoline engines — and lower emissions from regular gasoline. It's said to debut in late 2019. Related Video: