Kona

Make
Hyundai
Segment
SUV

The Hyundai Veloster N has proven to be a formidable hot hatch – but the Korean automaker's performance division isn't stopping there. According to Auto Express, the quirky Kona crossover could be the next model in line to get the N performance treatment, which will be the company's first-ever sports crossover. There is a catch, however. While development of a prototype Kona N is already underway, it hasn't been given the green light for production yet.

Albret Biermann, the boss of Hyundai's N performance sub-brand, revealed to the publication that engineers have been told to start work on a Kona N test mule. "I've told them to build the car and we'll see what happens with getting it approved," he said. "It has to be the i30 N powertrain, really. Of course, we can give Kona different specifications on suspension and steering, although there are some common components we can use in that area as well, because it'll be front-wheel drive, like the i30 N. But we already know that it has to be that car's engine and gearbox for the Kona N, yes."

That engine in question will be same 250-hp 2.0-liter turbo engine that powers the i30 N and Veloster N, but Auto Express claims the hotter 271-hp version won't be available for the Kona N. Even so, this would still give it a considerable performance advantage over the standard Kona, which pumps out 175 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque from a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine in the range-topping trim. The base model, on the other hand, uses a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque. We'll have to wait and see if the Kona N gets the green light for production, In the meantime, Hyundai will soon launch the Veloster N in America and an i30 N Fastback.

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