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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.

First peek inside Hyundai's hybrid Prius fighter

There are two new vehicle rumors that the auto industry can't seem to get enough of these days: "Tesla fighters" and "Prius fighters." The former category is filled up by Porsche and Audi and more. In the ranks of those who want to take on the world's best-selling hybrid, we can add Hyundai, but this time with a potential twist. First, let's take a look at the latest spy shots of the potentially 2017 model year gas-electric hybrid, including our first look inside. This car will be based on the next-generation Elantra that is also supposed to arrive in 2017. Rumor has it that a medium-sized lithium-polymer battery pack could offer 38 electric miles before the 1.6-liter engine takes over. The new hybrid will likely have a new name and could appear at an auto show at some point in 2016. We've seen other versions of this Prius fighter disguised in different camo. If you'd like to compare the vehicles, you can do so here and here (the latter shows modified Elantra GTs). Now, what about that twist? Well, alongside the standard gas-electric vehicle, it appears that Hyundai might also be working on an all-electric version of its "Prius fighter." Wearing the "AE" moniker, the all-electric version isn't guaranteed to arrive when the gas-electric car does, and may show up later, according to Green Car Reports. This all fits with Hyundai's promise, in 2014, to introduce a new all-electric car for the US market. We won't be surprised if it has wireless charging, too.

Ford Mustang Mach-E fails Sweden's moose test

The infamous moose test has claimed another casualty. This time it's the Ford Mustang Mach-E AWD Long Range, which was tested in an electric four-way alongside the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Skoda Enyaq iV (an electric utility vehicle closely related to the Volkswagen ID.4 that is sold in the United States). According to the Swedish testers at Teknikens Varld, Ford's electric car not only failed to hit the speed necessary for a passing grade, it didn't perform well at slower speeds, either. To pass the outlet's moose test, a car has to complete a rapid left-right-straight S-shaped pattern marked by cones at a speed of at least 72 km/h (44.7 miles per hour). The test is designed to mimic the type of avoidance maneuver a driver would have to take in order to avoid hitting something that wandered into the road, which in Sweden may be a moose but could just as easily be a deer or some other member of the animal kingdom elsewhere in the world, or possibly a child or car backing into the motorway. Not only is the maneuver very aggressive, it's also performed with weights belted into each seat and more weight added to the cargo area to hit the vehicle's maximum allowable carrying capacity. The Mustang Mach-E only managed to complete the moose test at 68 km/h (42.3 mph), well below the passing-grade threshold. Even at much lower speeds, Teknikens Varld says the Mach-E (which boasts the highest carrying capacity and was therefore loaded with more weight than the rest of the vehicles tested in this quartet) is "too soft in the chassis" and suffers from "too slow steering." Proving that it is indeed possible to pass the test, the Hyundai and Skoda completed the maneuver at the 44.7-mph figure required for a passing grade and the Tesla did it at 46.6 mph, albeit with less weight in the cargo area. It's not clear whether other versions of the Mustang Mach-E would pass the test. It's also unknown if Ford will make any changes to its chassis tuning or electronic stability control software, as some other automakers have done after a poor performance from Teknikens Varld, to improve its performance in the moose test. Related video: