Hyundai drops i20 N and i30 N in Europe, leaving the IONIQ 5 N

It really is a case of: it was good while it lasted. Hyundai has just confirmed it will stop selling the i20 N and i30 N in Europe.

In an official statement carried by several international outlets, the South Korean brand confirmed the end of the road for two cars that, in recent years, became benchmarks in their respective classes: the i20 N among B-segment pocket rockets, and the i30 N in the C-segment hot hatch world.

Hyundai ends i20 N and i30 N sales in Europe

“As of February, production of N models with internal combustion engines for the European market has ended, in line with our commitment to offer a zero-emissions line-up to our customers by 2035,” Hyundai said in the statement quoted by Carscoops.

Hyundai will develop the Hyundai N division in Europe as a pioneer of high-performance electric vehicles.

Hyundai

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 N, which Guilherme Costa tested in California in the USA, will be Hyundai N’s first fully electric model and comes packed with plenty of tricks designed to make you forget internal combustion engines. You can see it in action:

Adrenaline generators

Released in 2017, the i30 N was Hyundai’s first genuinely serious step into the hot hatch arena… and it hit the mark. On the one hand it was a surprise; on the other, it was exactly what you would expect from a car developed under the direction of Albert Biermann - the engineering wizard who led BMW’s M division for years before taking on the challenge of launching Hyundai N.

With two power outputs (250 hp or 275 hp) drawn from a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and paired exclusively with a manual gearbox, the i30 N impressed from day one and quickly established itself as one of the segment’s reference points.

A few years later, in 2021, Hyundai’s performance arm moved into its second act - the i20 N. The ambition was similar, albeit one class down in the pocket rockets arena, where there was a reigning king to unseat: the Ford Fiesta ST.

Once again, the Hyundai i20 N delivered. Even if sales never reached the i30 N’s eye-catching figures, the i20 N managed something equally significant: it left its mark.

Electric only from here

With the i20 N and i30 N now bowing out (and not forgetting the Kauai N, which has already exited the stage as well), Hyundai N’s European range will, for the time being, be reduced to a single model: the IONIQ 5 N.

IONIQ 5 N performance and tech

Running two electric motors (one per axle) and producing up to 650 hp of maximum combined power (in Boost mode), the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4s, despite weighing well over two tonnes.

More important than that, it features a new chassis compared with the “conventional” model, along with wider tracks and a lower stance, plus revised steering and an updated braking system. The aim is clear: to ensure this “super EV” is as capable through corners as it is in a straight line.

There is even a mode that recreates the sound of internal combustion engines - including the i30 N’s 2.0 Turbo up to 8000 rpm - called N Active Sound+, as well as a feature, N e-shift, that mimics an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

We still do not know when the IONIQ 5 N will arrive on the domestic market, nor which Hyundai electric models will be next to receive the N division’s “special treatment”. But one thing is certain: electrification will not make Hyundai walk away from performance cars.