Hyundai Heaves Hefty Hints of a Hotter Hatch

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Hyundai’s plans to diversify the Elantra lineup continues apace, with the automaker dropping teaser images of the next GT hatch and posting a video of a possible N-badged high-performance variant.

Expect more maturity and style from the hatchback Elantra, and, if the automaker is really serious about its N Division, a turbocharged stick-shift funmobile with room for camping equipment.

In Europe, the model goes by another name, so the next-generation i30’s September 7 unveiling will give us a good look at the stateside Elantra GT. Playing catch-up to its sedan sibling, which bowed earlier this year as a 2017 model, the GT’s official debut happens later this month at the Paris Motor Show.

The next-generation model sports more refined styling, with a “cascading” front grille that resembles the sedan’s and (from certain angles) some Infiniti models. Hyundai promises an “efficient and dynamic powertrain line-up,” meaning we’ll likely see Eco and Sport versions of the updated hatch.

The 2017 Elantra Sport features a turbocharged 1.6-liter direct-injection four-cylinder making “more than” 200 horsepower and 190 pounds-feet of torque, according to the automaker. That mill would give Hyundai a player in the hot hatch field. However, a video posted by the company suggests a more sport-tuned offering could be in the works.

The video, posted on Hyundai’s YouTube channel, is titled “N in Progress,” and shows a camo-clad four-door hatch navigating a hairpin-heavy closed course. The vehicle looks like a current generation GT, but a modified one at that.

Will we finally see a production Hyundai GT variant with N Division fingerprints on it? If so, the upcoming Honda Civic Si can expect competition from the Koreans.

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Corey Lewis Corey Lewis on Aug 30, 2016

    Well lookie there, the front end is a Q50, and the back is a Golf!

  • Old Man Pants Old Man Pants on Aug 30, 2016

    The more cookie-cutter cars in each segment become because aero, the more elaborate the camouflage. "a player in the hot hatch field" A new purveyor of dress shields!

  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
  • Carson D The UAW has succeeded in organizing a US VW plant before. There's a reason they don't teach history in the schools any longer. People wouldn't make the same mistakes.
  • B-BodyBuick84 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport of course, a 7 seater, 2.4 turbo-diesel I4 BOF SUV with Super-Select 4WD, centre and rear locking diffs standard of course.
  • Corey Lewis Think how dated this 80s design was by 1995!
  • Tassos Jong-iL Communist America Rises!
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