Hyundai i20 N 2020 confirmed! Fiesta ST, Polo GTI rival on the cards for Australia

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The Hyundai i20 N could come to Australia
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
10 May 2019
2 min read

The much-rumoured Hyundai i20 N has at last been confirmed, with the fire-breathing city car spied undergoing testing at Germany's famed Nurburgring.

And in exciting news for fans of micro hot hatches, Hyundai in Australia has confirmed an i20 N would be on the cards for a local launch, with executives saying they would work on the business case for the Fiesta ST, Polo GTI rival.

Details remain thin on the ground for now, but it is expected that the i20 N will make use of Hyundai's turbocharged 1.6-litre engine, with power pushed up to around 150kW (a significant boost from the standard car's 73.5kW when it was last offered in Australia).

Elsewhere, you can expect the full N treatment, including sportier suspension, larger wheels and bigger brakes, as well as a lower ride height and dual-tipped exhaust. The prototype vehicle spotted was manual-only (not unlike the current i30 N) but eagle-eyed fans also noticed new strut braces behind the back seats to help with body stiffness.

Read More: Hyundai i30 N auto due in 2019

The original i20 was dropped from the Australian line-up several years ago, with Hyundai unable to secure the pricing it needed to compete in the cost-competitive city-car field. But it is understood an N-stamped i20 would be right back on the company's wish list. While the i30 is built in the Czech Republic, the i20 comes from a plant in Turkey, but it's also understood the difference in factory wouldn't be a deterrent in introducing the i20 N to Oz.

"We've made no secret of the fact our focus is on building an N performance family, and so we will of course be studying the business case for any new product that should become available," says Hyundai spokesperson Guido Schenken.

"And an i20 N isn't ruled out."

Would you be in the queue for an i20 N? Tell us in the comments below. 

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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