Hyundai developing ‘high-performance’ hybrid supercar
Hyundai has confirmed it plans to build a plug-in hybrid two-seat supercar, though whether the company will market it as a Hyundai, under its new N performance brand, or as its own spun-off nameplate is unknown.
The rumours that Hyundai was poaching people such as BMW’s old M Division head Albert Biermann and Lamborghini stylist Luc Donkerwolke as part of a flagship supercar project are indeed true, several senior executives told Australia’s Drive.com.au. Biermann is now head of Hyundai’s N division, and is spearheading development of the car, styled by Donkerwolke.
It was Donkerwolke who spilled the beans at CES in Las Vegas, but a hesitant Woong-Chul Yang, Hyundai’s vice-president of research and development, reluctantly confirmed the rumours, adding the car would be a two-seater and that Hyundai would “certainly … put some electric engines in there.”
Specs or performance goals are still a long way from public ears, but sources did tell Drive that Hyundai’s Namyang development centre in South Korea has been spied benchmarking possible rivals such as the Porsche 911 Turbo and Lamborghini Huracan.
“It is pretty high-performance. It is serious,” offered Yang.
Other hints Hyundai was up to something include the spate of sexy concept cars it has released recently, such as the mid-engined PassoCorte, the HND-9 luxury coupe, and the Vision N 2025 it conceived in partnership with Sony’s Gran Turismo video game series.
Yang says the brand the supercar would be marketed under is yet to be decided. When finally unveiled, it may be as a Hyundai, though it will more likely fit in as a standalone product under — or even over — the company’s new N performance brand.