Hyundai N Boss Confirms All-Wheel Drive Prototypes Are Already Being Tested

Hyundai recently pulled the wraps off the i30 N but the company’s

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by Michael Gauthier

July 18, 2017 at 22:32

Hyundai recently pulled the wraps off the i30 N but the company’s head of high-performance development has revealed an even brighter future could be on the horizon.

Speaking with Top Gear, former BMW M boss Albert Biermann confirmed the company is already testing N models with all-wheel drive. While the executive stressed there are currently no plans for an all-wheel drive variant, it would give the company a more proper competitor to all-wheel drive rivals such as the Ford Focus RS and Volkswagen Golf R.

Despite down playing the possibility of all-wheel drive, Biermann said “Of course we are looking into this. We have all our in-house tech and the cost of the car could still be reasonable.”

Biermann went on to say all-wheel drive isn’t a priority right now because the i30 N doesn’t have enough power to necessitate the switch. However, if the company were to add more power in the future it could pave the way for four-wheel traction.

Besides talking about all-wheel drive, Biermann said the company is working on a paddle-shift transmission and it will be added to the lineup “sooner or later.” However, the executive stated the model will continue to be available with a stick because the “manual has to survive of course!”