Hyundai confirms and teases new-gen Tucson N-Line

HYUNDAI Motor Company Australia (HMCA) has released the first teaser images of its upcoming performance-oriented Tucson N-Line SUV ahead of its launch in the first half of 2021.

Confirmed to be in development back in September when the new-generation Tucson was revealed, the N-Line will sport more aggressive exterior and interior styling and if long-standing industry rumours ring true, a heap more power courtesy of the Sonata N-Line’s 213kW/422Nm turbocharged 2.5-litre engine.

Such outputs would launch the Tucson straight to the top of the medium SUV segment in terms of power and performance, at least until the Volkswagen Tiguan R and hinted-at Tucson N arrive.

“Everything’s possible, we do monitor the market very attentively,” HMC global product management boss Lorenz Glaab said at the global launch of the new-generation Tucson.

“Our heart beats for N, and we will not only keep the N story alive, but we will build on that and well, watch out for exciting news.”

Very little else has been revealed about the Tucson N-Line apart from the fact it should score its own sports-oriented suspension tune as part of the usual N-Line treatment.

While no official description has been provided, taking a closer look at the teaser images reveals the N-Line will boast an even more defined front fascia than the regular model, headlined by the squared-off, more defined cheekbone arrangement encapsulating the deep-set headlights.

Other unique touches include more aggressive flared wheelarches (body colour) and body mouldings while the rugged rear bumper has been swapped out for a chunkier unit adorned with a subtle rear diffuser and dual exhaust tips.

The Tucson N-Line’s launch will not be a one-off for HMCA and the N mantra in the immediate future, with the potent mid-sizer set to be one of eight new models launching across the N and N-Line families between now and the end of 2021.

Also in the pipeline are the i30 Sedan, Kona and Sonata N-Lines while at the top of the table, the rabid i30 N facelift is arriving soon, as is the smaller i20 N as well as the just confirmed i30 Sedan N.

That leaves another as-yet-unknown N Performance or N-Line variant to come to market and while HMCA is keeping its cards close to its chest, GoAuto expects this mystery car to be the highly anticipated and long-suspected Kona N, prototypes of which have been spied testing at the Nurburgring on multiple occasions.

One notable absentee from that list however is the facelifted i30 Fastback N, the future of which has been shrouded with mystery ever since footage surfaced showing prototype i30 Sedan Ns undergoing testing at and around the Nurburgring.

HMCA has not totally ruled out the Fastback continuing on beyond its current iteration but neither has it confirmed it.

GoAuto explored this very subject in a recent report detailing the possible impacts of the i30 Sedan N’s arrival Down Under, wherein which it was found HMCA could mount a three-pronged charge upmarket and hassle the Mercedes-Benz A-Class (hatch/sedan) and CLA trio.

The flipside was that the Korean challenger could follow the leads of Audi and BMW in offering just two variants – a hatch and sedan/four-door coupe – instead of three and still take the fight to the premium Germans while simultaneously battling the mainstream hot hatches and compact sedans head-on thanks to the upcoming power bump.

Ultimately it could well be the Fastback N’s niche styling that secures its future for the time being given HMCA has made a habit of securing models not originally intended for our market.

Examples of such models include the i30 Sedan and Palisade SUV, both of which were initially developed primarily for left-hand drive markets, leaving Australia as one of the only right-hand-drive markets to have secured them.

The i30 Fastback N was a surprise in itself given no other i30 Fastback variants are offered here, as was the i20 N and now in some respects the Tucson N-Line which has been offered overseas for some time now in third-generation guise.

The Tucson range in general has had a decent year so far in 2020 with HMCA having sold 12,212 examples to the end of October, accounting for an even 10.0 per cent of the sub-$60,000 medium SUV segment behind the Toyota RAV4 (25.6%) and Mazda CX-5 (14.4%).