The idea of a Kona N has been bouncing around, well, pretty much since the N sub-brand was announced. The shot callers over at Hyundai have yet to give the official green light, but Albert Biermann – the head of the N sub-brand – has given his people the okay to start working on a test mule. He hopes that a well-built test mule will give the head honchos something to believe in and ultimately get their okay to proceed with a real build.

“I’ve told them to build the car, and we’ll see what happens with getting it approved,” said Biermann. “It has to be the i30 N powertrain, really. Of course, we can give Kona different specifications on suspension and steering, although there are some common components we can use in that area as well, because it’ll be front-wheel drive, like the i30 N. But we already know that it has to be that car’s engine and gearbox for the Kona N, yes.”

With that in mind, The Kona N will probably be powered by the 247-horsepower version of the 2.0-liter from the i30 N. Sure, Hyundai could go with the 2.0-liter that’s tuned to 271 horsepower for the i30 N Performance Pack, but it isn’t likely – at least not at first. There’s no ruling out a hotter Performance Pack for the Kona N as well which would unlock that extra horsepower. There’s no word as to whether or not it’ll get that electric front differential from the i30N, but it’s not exactly out of the question either.

For now, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens, but you can probably expect the Kona N to show up before the Veloster N or the i30 N Fastback. For what it’s worth, the i30N should have a refined suspension, refined steering, and transmission, so that’s what you should expect from the Kona N as well.

Current Hyundai Kona Drivetrain Specifications

References

Read our full review on the 2018 Hyundai Kona.

Read our full review on the 2018 Hyundai i30 N.

Read our full review on the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric.

Read more Hyundai news.