ExtiNction event! Last call on Hyundai Kona N performance SUV as Hyundai looks towards electric car future

Hyundai Australia has confirmed the final batch of Kona N small performance SUVs have entered the country, with 26 examples still available to purchase.

This could be the last chance to nab a brand-new, petrol-powered Kona N as no clear successor has been announced despite the small SUV launching with a new-generation model earlier this year.

As a reminder, the Kona N is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine punching out 206kW/392Nm – which is shared with the i30 N.

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Sending drive to the front wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the Kona N can scoot from 0-100km/h in just 5.5 seconds.

The Kona N is available in two grades, the base version priced at $49,200 before on-road costs and the top-spec Premium for $52,200.

But because it is based on an ageing platform, styling and technology differ from the new Kona that entered local showrooms in mid-year in petrol form, with hybrid and electric versions due to arrive before 2024.

In late 2022, outgoing Hyundai N Head of R&D Albert Biermann revealed the brand had no plans to build a high-performance N variant on the second-gen platform, and even dismissed the notion of an electric version.

This could be the last chance to nab a brand-new, petrol-powered Kona N.

However, Hyundai Head of EV Strategy Simon Park told journalists earlier this year that the door is open for a future Kona N.

"I can understand the concern of Australian buyers," Park said. "When we started the project for the all-new Kona we did research on the global market and we needed to embrace some more priorities, so we decided to develop all these powertrains - ICE, hybrid, EV - because there will be markets that want these powertrains," he said.

"So regarding the Kona N model, we developed the Kona N ICE in the previous model and now we are doing a lot of research in the area of electrification because we need to develop the EV N Line."

This potential new Kona N, however, may not materialise for at least a few years yet.