Aussie hope for Hyundai i30 N TCR Edition
BY PETER BARNWELL | 25th Nov 2024
HYUNDAI Motor Company Australia (HMCA) has gone on record saying it is keen to get the just-announced i30 sedan N TCR (Touring Car Racing) Edition but cannot confirm anything just yet.
According to an HMCA spokesperson, Hyundai Motor plans to launch the new model in South Korea first this December, expanding the rollout to global markets next year.
Hyundai says under the skin, the i30 sedan N TCR Edition brings multiple upgraded performance parts that have been newly developed for the model.
Most obvious externally is a large carbon swan neck spoiler on the boot lid, with a closer inspection revealing lightweight 19-inch N TCR forged wheels covering large-format N Performance monobloc four-piston brakes.
The want factor is heightened by goodies that include a revised interior with extra features inspired by motorsports including a race-inspired Alcantara steering wheel with a performance blue top marker, performance blue seat belts and exclusive TCR Edition badging.
If it was to make it Down Under, the likely price would be higher than the existing i30 N Premium sedan (at $52,000 excluding on-road costs) on which it is based and probably more than the i30 N Premium hatch that is $1500 more.
Other potential contenders include all-wheel drive pocket rockets like the Subaru WRX sedan ($47,490-$57,990 + ORC) and perhaps the Toyota Corolla GR hatch ($64,190 + ORC), not forgetting VW’s front-drive Golf GTI hatch (from $56,090 + ORC) and Honda’s front-drive Civic Type R hatch at $74,100 drive-away.
The front-drive i30 sedan N TCR Edition is loosely based on a successful racing version that last year took out the Australian TCR Series and for the fourth consecutive year in 2024, won its class in the arduous Nurburgring 24 Hours among a host of other motorsport successes.
Hyundai is keenly aware of the impact on sales of its racing program that way back spawned the N Performance brand (emanating from the WRC) with desirable sporty kit, dynamics and performance to selected road models at a relatively modest premium.
It has resulted in an extraordinary level of brand loyalty amongst N car owners who every year, line up to indulge their passion at Hyundai’s N-Festival track days subsidised by the company.
The N brand is filtering into Hyundai’s fully electric powered line-up but in the meantime the new i30 sedan N TCR Edition is there to keep the ICE passion alive.
Much like Mercedes-Benz’s AMG and BMW’s M division, Hyundai’s N Performance arm has lifted the brand’s perception higher in the mainstream pecking order to the point where N-spec cars are aspirational among certain buyer groups.
The TCR sedan is an enhanced version of Hyundai’s strikingly styled i30N sedan Premium with extra features, some performance enhancements and a truckload of attitude.
It benefits from Hyundai’s eight years of experience in the TCR World Tour for production-based vehicles that provides a bank of data Hyundai Motor has gained and used since joining the TCR World Tour in 2017.
Hyundai Motor Company says the TCR Edition “embodies the DNA of Hyundai Motorsports, designed to boost N-thusiasm for those who love driving.”
“Hyundai Motor has incorporated the experience and expertise accumulated in motorsports into i30 sedan N TCR Edition,” said Joon Park, vice president of Hyundai’s N Brand Management Group.
“We will continue to enhance the DNA of Hyundai N, so that N-thusiasts can experience the thrill of motorsports in their daily lives.”
