We’ve said several times that it’s a shame Hyundai’s local lineup doesn’t have a sedan, given how good the current Accent, Elantra, and Sonata are looking. Well, that might be about to change—in a very, very big way.
Hyundai Motor Philippines has just confirmed that it will be launching its high-performance N brand at the 2024 Manila International Auto Show. The car to be displayed? The Hyundai Elantra N. We can’t overstate how excited we are about this.
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This high-performance four-door is powered by a 2.0-liter turbopetrol engine that generates 276hp, which is good enough to propel it to 100kph from a standstill in 5.3sec. Top speed is all the way up to 250kph. Nope, this isn’t your typical compact sedan.
It’s also got something called the N Grin Shift, which makes us grin at the prospect of trying it out already. When activated, it bumps power by an additional 10hp for 20sec, and gets the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission to kick down to a lower gear for an instant acceleration boost.
“At Hyundai Motor Philippines, we ‘Innovate Everyday’ so that we can make it possible for our diverse Filipino customers to experience progress in their everyday lives,” said Hyundai Motor Philippines president Dongwook Lee. “So for those who enjoy and are passionate about high performance, we are pleased to share with you that our technology powerhouse, N, is arriving in the country.
“To all existing, and soon-to-be, ‘N-thusiasts,’ we are excited to be giving you access to the ground-breaking cars that came out of our rolling lab. Outstanding pleasure and that fun-to-drive thrill will be at arm’s reach starting this April.”
While this doesn’t totally confirm that the Elantra N will indeed be available on the market (it could just be a launch vehicle, for all we know), the arrival of the N brand in the country is still massive news, even if it was already announced late last year. We’ll know more in the coming days, so watch this space.
