In conversation with JooN Park, Hyundai’s Global Head of the N Division, on the history and importance of evolving the brand

But why does Hyundai have the N performance division at all? Isn’t this a company that makes everyday vehicles (albeit one with sometimes polarizing designs they’ve won a plethora of awards for)? Why delve into high-performance-spec cars at all?

BMW has M, Mercedes-Benz has AMG, Cadillac has V. And before you come at me with “Jay! Ford, Subaru, Toyota, Nissan, and Dodge have performance divisions, too,” you’re right. But Hyundai’s route has been different, and we’ll dig into that shortly.

Hyundai recently held a dedicated track day at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park to show off just how agile and powerful its Ioniq 5 N, 6 N, and Elantra N are. Prior to this, my N experience was strapping my kayak to a 5 N and doing a 500-km road trip, one of my favourite road trips of the hundreds I’ve done. Enveloped by the safety of a closed race track, flanked by professional drivers, I cranked open the 5 N and 6 N’s fun side, measuring the day in electrifying smiles-per-kilometre; and with the Elantra N TCR, every manual upshift saw the car giggling and wanting to go faster.

Changing lanes for a moment: I like knowing stuff and things. A lot. I’m more engaged in the story than the ending.
Yes, the trio of Ns are blisteringly fast, and delightfully dance with ease around twists and turns. I went back to the question that drifted in my head throughout the day: why did this everyday automaker feel the need to amp up its economy-car offerings with performance?

To get answers, I connected with JooN Park himself. And yes, the “N” in his name is capitalized.

“For decades, performance brands were indeed built around premium and luxury vehicles. But for us, performance was never about price or exclusivity,” explains Park. “It was about emotion, engagement, and pushing boundaries of the existing Hyundai brand.”

“When we created Hyundai N, we saw an opportunity to democratize performance. Around the world, there were countless enthusiasts who loved driving, but had limited access to the experiences offered by traditional luxury performance brands. We believed high-performance technology, motorsports know-how, and driving excitement should be accessible to a much broader audience.”

Park notes that another key driver was Hyundai’s motorsport involvement. Through competition, particularly in rallying and touring car racing, the automaker developed technology, engineering expertise, and a performance enthusiast culture. “N became the bridge between those racing experiences our customers crave and our production vehicles they drive daily,” he says.

“In the past, Hyundai’s biggest weakness was performance and driving dynamics, and we believed the only way to change that perception was through a genuine commitment to performance,” he adds. “Most importantly, N was created to transform perceptions of what Hyundai could be. We challenged ourselves to prove that great performance can be achieved from everyday Hyundai vehicles.”

Aha! It’s about accessibility and attainability! For reference, the wildly powerful 2026 Elantra N manual has a very affordable (for what you’re getting) MSRP of $40,949. There’s no way that Park casually dropped the “heads up, we’re creating a performance division” line at the end of a meeting and, magically, N came to life, though. So how did it really go down?

“Creating a performance car is challenging, but creating a performance brand from a company and a country not traditionally associated with performance is even harder,” Park admits. “We knew enthusiasts would be skeptical, so credibility and authenticity had to be earned through products, motorsports, and results, not marketing. That’s why we invested heavily in racing, intensive technology testing, and developing cars that could stand up to the expectations of passionate drivers.”

Park says Hyundai knew not to expect N would find overnight success, and he thanks his colleagues in R&D (research and development) – “from Albert Biermann, who helped launch the brand; to Manfred Harrer, who now supports us towards the future” – on working to develop each new vehicle in a way that “adds to the story of N in convincing fashion.”

The Veloster N was the first N model introduced in North America, but the first N road car globally was the i30 N, which debuted in Germany in 2017. The high-performance C-segment hatchback is an iconic category, Park explained, and “Germany was the benchmark market where the world’s best hot hatches competed,” and the plan from the start in 2013 was to launch there, establish a little credibility, then expand globally. “In reality, the i30 N achieved far greater success than we had anticipated, giving us the confidence to enter North America with the Veloster N, a model specifically developed for that market.”

Park notes, too, that Veloster had enthusiast appeal and the ability to “deliver our three N pillars: Corner Rascal, Racetrack Capability, and Everyday Sports car.” It didn’t hurt that it shared a platform with the i30 N either.

“Just last weekend, I spent time with Veloster N owners at a gymkhana event here in South Korea, discussing how a high-performance front-wheel-drive car should behave, and what creates the desired and proper driving dynamics,” Park elaborates. “Seeing enthusiasts passionately debate these minute details and share the same love for driving is incredibly rewarding. Moments like these are what make this journey most meaningful to me.”

After Veloster came the Elantra N—the same Elantra N in which I’d whipped around the track with precision. The one that screamed at 6,000 rpm as I galloped down the straightway. The one that’s wildly underrated. (And, admittedly, the one that’s a helluva far cry from my 2002 Elantra GT.)

“[Veloster N’s] development was strongly influenced by Hyundai’s growing success in TCR competition, where the Elantra N TCR has become one of the benchmark race cars in the category, raced by distinguished Canadian drivers such as Robert Wilkins,” says Park. “Hyundai N has achieved a record six consecutive class victories in the TCR category at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, one of the world’s most demanding endurance races [and] the Elantra N brings that proven racing DNA into an accessible, everyday package.“

“This commitment is embodied in our ‘Never just drive’ mindset and reflected in our ‘Born in Namyang, Honed at the Nürburgring’ development process, where lessons learned on the track are directly transferred to our production vehicles.”

EVs’ instant torque means acceleration can be exhilarating on its own, regardless of what logo is on the steering wheel. Which got me wondering—

“While many EVs already deliver impressive straight-line performance, we believe true performance is defined by driver engagement, emotional connection, and confidence at the limit. Our goal was to bring those qualities into the electric era,” went the rationale, per Park.

Hyundai engineers drove a wide range of EVs and debated whether an electric vehicle could deliver a high-performance driving experience. “However, as development progressed, we discovered new technologies created opportunities to achieve the level of performance we required.” At the point, N engineers’ goals were revised: “Set the new standard of EV performance.”

That meant enhancing driver feedback through new tech like N e-shift, even if the world-first virtual gear-shift technology required all new development processes. “Rather than reducing the driver’s role, we wanted technology to strengthen the connection between the driver and the vehicle,” says Park.

Other core development priorities included a focus on track endurance and thermal management, and the result is an EV capable of withstanding demanding track use, including “maintaining performance over two consecutive laps of the Nürburing Nordschleife” while still delivering everyday usability.

Hyundai also installed N “hyper-chargers” at race tracks like the Inje Speedium circuit in South Korea and the Nürburgring in Germany, and every EV N owner enjoys free charging at those locations. (The automaker also maintains an electric “N taxi fleet” at the Nürburgring.)

During my track time with the two cars, it was the curves that impressed me. Most cars can perform well in a straight line for short bursts—step down, hold the wheel straight, and don’t collide with anything afterward. But the Ns also offered lively steering feedback, and did precisely what I asked of them on sharp turns, keeping pace with my intensity during all five laps.

Any- and everything new in the automotive world takes years, if not decades, to be recognized and accepted. (Seatbelts were made available in the 1950s, for example, but were rarely used in Canada until 1976, when wearing them was made mandatory.) What does this have to do with N? I’m happy you asked.

“N vehicles deliver genuine high-performance capabilities, but they’re designed to be enjoyed every day. They combine motorsports-derived engineering, track capability, and driver engagement with the practicality, reliability, and accessibility that people already associate with Hyundai,” Park says. “What excites many of our first-time N drivers is that the experience often exceeds their expectations, [and] at its core, N is an invitation. It’s a chance for more people to experience the joy of driving and discover that performance is not about where a brand comes from, but how a car makes you feel behind the wheel.”

Does all that mean Hyundai is considering N-spec Konas, Tucsons, and Palisades? Probably not. (Although if there’s a Nissan Armada Nismo, perhaps there’s a world that includes a Palisade N—I’m kidding! Kinda.) But back to the point: all that does mean the pillars of N include approachability, and Park and his team want as many people as possible to experience the pizzazz of N. There’s no exclusive “N” club.

And the next few years of N are shaping up to be exciting ones. “As the industry evolves, our goal is not simply to adapt to new technologies, but to use them to create even more engaging driver experiences,” Park enthuses. “Vehicles like the RN22e, N Vision 74, and RN24 show how experimental technologies can shape the future of N while keeping the driver at the center of the experience.”

“Most importantly, we’d like to see the N community continue to grow around the world. One of N’s greatest achievements is that it has become more than a lineup of vehicles; it’s a global community of enthusiasts who share a passion for driving.”

Hyundai started off with three modest passenger vehicles, knowing there’d be years of growing pains. Decade after decade, model after model, sprinkled in with pieces of performance en route has evolved significantly. There’s a dedicated luxury brand in Genesis and recently, that marque’s got its own performance division, dubbed “Magma.” And while the N brand is less than a decade old, it’s propelled Hyundai forward, with JooN’s vision as the driving force.

The automaker’s bread and butter – or maybe wings and hot sauce is more appropriate, here – will remain its passenger vehicles. N wasn’t created to compete with Hyundai. Rather, it was meant to complement and move the brand forward with refined offerings that align with the brand. Who would have thought that shifting something in “N” would move a brand forward? JooN Park certainly did.

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