Hyundai Working Up Hi-Po Kona N Crossover

By Chris Chase

May 17, 2018

Summary

Killer Kona

The man running Hyundai's N performance brand says the South Korean company is working on a prototype for a hotted-up version of its Kona subcompact crossover.

Albert Biermann told the UK's AutoExpress that he and his team have begun development on a test mule the N brand folks will use to sell the concept to the company's management.

Where the standard 2018 Hyundai Kona comes with a choice of 2.0L naturally aspirated and 1.6L turbo motors, Biermann said the Kona N will use a turbo version of the 2.0L to be shared with the forthcoming Veloster N, tuned for 250 hp -- a big bump over the 1.6L's 175 horses.

Giving its Kona the N treatment would put Hyundai on its own in offering a sport-oriented small crossover in the entry-level segment, now that Nissan has ditched the Juke (which was particularly fun in NISMO trim) in favour of the less-interesting Kicks.

But for us, the big question is, if Hyundai green-lights the Kona N for production, will it come to North America? We'll keep you posted.

Meet the Author

As a child, Chris spent most of his time playing with toy cars in his parents’ basement or making car sounds while riding his bicycle. Now he's an award-winning Algonquin College Journalism grad who has been playing with real cars that make their own noises since the early 2000s.