New Hyundai i30 N Hot Hatch Spotted In Winter Testing

The hotly anticipated Hyundai i30 N Hot Hatch has been thoroughly captured snow testing before its launch later in the year.

Hyundai have a few turbos and such in their lineup, but this will be the first high-performance vehicle produced by the company in the form of the i30 N, being tested here by WRC driver Thierry Neuville at Hyundai's Mobis Proving Ground Arjeplog, Sweden.

This should be Hyundai's first 'sporty road car' which should be just as capable on the track as it is on the road to eventually compete with the likes of the VW golf GTI and the Ford ST. Watching the video I'm actually quite jealous of having all that snowy flat landscape to skid around on, but that's what a World Rally Championship driver is there to test and enjoy.

The car is still kitted out in its camouflage guise and is said in the video to feel near to a race car at this early stage, even though it is still very much in development. All the feedback from the testing will be shared with the Hyundai R+D center in Namyang. The video states that the main idea of the vehicle is to deliver driving fun for the driver, apparently that is what the 'N' stands for, being able to throw the vehicle around a chicane.

The idea behind the snowy conditions was to test out not only the cars performance in these cold, slippy and snowy conditions but also to test the steering, stability and traction. 'They have done a good job on the gearbox and the differential. There is good traction and good stability in the slippery conditions and it's very easy to handle,' said Thierry Neuville over the funky video soundtrack.

The actual specifications for the i30 N are yet to be released, but it is likely that a variance of the 2 L turbocharged engine will be featured and from the sound of the vehicle a healthy large exhaust, big, wide tires and an updated design more in accordance with the latest crop of Hyundai's to be released in the next year. That being a more aggressive design with sharper lines.

It's expected that the i30 N will be available later in the year. Clearly tested to work perfectly on snow.