Mid Engine Hyundai N Flagship Still Being Looked At

Way back in 2014, Hyundai showed off a mid-engine version of the previous generation Veloster hatchback called the RM14.

The Korean automaker then showed off an updated version of the concept car called the RM15, which was essentially the same as the RM14 appeared, only it appeared a bit more production ready. A year later, it rolled out yet another Veloster-based mid-engine car called, you guessed it, the RM16.

The saga continued that year when a fully working prototype was spotted putting in laps at the Nurburgring. Understandably, this led to speculation that Hyundai might actually be looking at building this mid-engine hatchback, but there’s been no word on the it since that day. Until now, that is.

Albert Biermann, head of Hyundai’s newly christened N performance division, recently told Top Gear that the mid-engine RM model (which stands for Rear Midship) is still being looked at.

“Yeah, we have been working on this (a halo car),” Biermann said. “Like the Racing Midship, which we’ve done three versions of. We are still working on these cars, trying different things. Maybe someday we will have such a car. There is no decision yet, but it could happen.”

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Hyundai is apprehensive to release such a model, and for good reason. A Hyundai dealer has never even sold a performance model before, Biermann explained, so salesman and service people alike would be a bit confused if you just went and stuck an oddball mid-engine hatchback in its showrooms. Before such a car can find its way into Hyundai storefronts, the company must first become accustomed to selling lesser performance cars like the upcoming Veloster N.

“Our sales network is not used to performance cars, and we need to take a little time,” Biermann said. “Spreading out too many cars too fast is not the right thing. If we started with a bespoke car in the first place, people would have no idea what to do with such a car.”

The RM16 concept featured a mid-mounted 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that made 295 hp and 282 lb-ft of torque. Power was sent to the rear wheels, of course, and channeled through a six-speed manual transmission. Hyundai applied a similar recipe to the Veloster N, which features a 276 hp 2.0-liter turbo and a six-speed manual, so it seems as though the ingredients for this mid-engine performance model are all readily available.

Before a halo product arrives, though, Hyundai N will be focused on nailing the launch of the Veloster N. The hatch, which is the automaker’s first dedicated performance model for North America, is expected to arrive in showrooms sometime later this year.

[Source: Top Gear]

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