Hyundai i30 N hot hatch sounds like A45 AMG

A Hyundai i30 that sounds like a Mercedes-AMG A45? Or, gasp, even better? Hear for yourself because the South Korean brand has released a teaser video for the debut model from its N performance division.

The camouflaged Hyundai i30 N prototype pops, crackles and blares its way around a circuit in a video with a simple tag-line: “The sound of Hyundai N, designed for the joy of driving.”

If the production version sounds like this teaser video, Hyundai’s Volkswagen Golf GTI rival will clearly be targeting fruitier opposition such as the Akropovic exhaust-equipped Renault Sport Megane 275.

There is important news for three-pedal fans, too, with the i30 N prototype utilising a manual transmission. Previous teaser videos have shown vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission – tipped to be an iteration of Hyundai’s current seven-speed dual-clutcher used in the Veloster Turbo.

A previous engine testing teaser video also hints at the power the i30 N will have on offer, with rig-test outputs rising to 265ps (198kW) and 310Nm before the video cuts away.

Hyundai has previously used its Veloster-based mid-engined RM15 concept to show off a new 2.0-litre direct injection turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which in that application produced 221kW of power.

It is widely tipped that a variation of that engine will make it into the i30 N when the production version is revealed next year. Hyundai says it is continuing to test its debut hot hatch, including at its factory-owned facility at the Nurburgring.

Although this i30 N prototype wears clothes from the current generation i30, which first launched in 2012, the production version will be based on a new platform set to debut underneath the next-generation i30 at September’s Paris motor show.