In 2013, Hyundai announced plans to launch N Performance, a sub-brand that will develop performance-oriented versions of the company’s existing products and handle its ambitious motorsport programs. The first vehicle wearing the "N" badge arrived as early as 2014, when the South Korean brand unveiled the i20 WRC for the World Rally Championship. A bit later, Hyundai confirmed that its first high-performance, road-going model will be based on the i30 hatchback. Come 2016, and the company has given us a taste of things to come with the N Concept RN30.

Revealed at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, the RN30 is an aggressive-looking concept car that marries the design of the brand-new i30 with the body kit of a full-fledged race car. Developed in cooperation with the company's Motorsport division located near the Nurburging track, the RN30 announces Hyundai's intention to join the high-performance market and previews the i30 N, the first road-going model to sport the "N" logo.

"RN30 embodies the concept of a strong, high-performance car that brings dynamic, sporty driving. Soon to evolve into our first N model, the RN30 is inspired by our passion to provide a high-performance car that our customers can enjoy effortlessly. We have drawn on our technological expertise – honed through our motorsport successes – to deliver emotional delight through an engaging blend of performance and control, the goal Hyundai’s N strives to achieve in future performance models," said Albert Biermann, head of Vehicle Test & High-Performance Development at Hyundai.

What's the concept all about and how much of it will we see in the production i30 N? Check out our review for answers to those questions.

Continue reading to learn more about the Hyundai N Concept RN30.

Exterior

Essentially a new i30 on steroids, the RN30 retains only a handful of features seen on the production hatchback. The overall shape and proportions match that of the production model -- although you have to ignore the race-ready body kit -- while the front fascia showcases a similar trapezoidal grille and slender, angular headlamps. However, the similarities stop here, as the concept car is equipped with an aerodynamic package that makes it a lot more aggressive to look at. In short, it looks like a track-prepped version of the i30 -- the kind you'd see in the World Rally Championship but with a DTM flavor in it.

Up front, the headlamps feature a new lighting pattern with rectangular LED elements, while the bumper has a pair of massive intakes at the corners. These also incorporate big LED foglamps and winglets at the bottom. Onto the sides, we can see extremely beefed-up wheel arches, a prominent side skirt, and large wheels. The rear end is equally menacing, especially due to the big carbon-fiber diffuser and the big exhaust pipes at the center.

The wheels are pretty fancy too, sporting a five-spoke design, red hub caps, and white hockey stick graphics on the tires. The door windows feature motorsport-inspired cutours, but by far the most spectacular feat is that the doors have butterfly-type hinges.

Granted, the production i30 N won’t be as menacing as the concept car. Hyundai will drop the massive splitter, side skirts, and diffuser, the fenders won't be this wide, and the doors will be replaced with conventional units. However, the hot-hatch will definitely be a more aggressive proposition to the standard model.

Interior

Naturally, the interior is also pretty extreme compared to the standard model. The race-ready hatchback is equipped with a bucket seat, an integrated roll cage, and a no-nonsense dashboard with just a small display behind the motorsport-inspired steering wheel. The tall center console is also inspired by racing, with the buttons on the center stack oriented toward the driver. The concept car is also devoid of convenience features such as air conditioning and a sound system.

On the flip side, it comes with all sorts of technology that will soon become available in production models. First, it has cameras integrated inside each A pillar, with an outside camera attached to the center fin on the roof. These enable the driver to create proffessional looking racing footage or film a Nurburgring lap attempt.

Of course, none of these race-inspired goodies will find their way into the road-going i30 N, but it's good to see that Hyundai is capable of turning its hatchback into a full-fledged race car.

Drivetrain

The RN30 concept gets its juice from a turbocharged, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine tuned by Hyundai Motorsport. Under development for N production models, the unit has been upgraded with a larger turbo for increased performance and forged components for enhanced durability.

The unit cranks out 380 PS (375 horsepower) and 451 Nm (333 pound-feet) of torque, an incredible figure compared to the road-going i30 we're all familiar with. All that oomph travels to the wheels through a wet-type, dual-clutch transmission and an all-wheel-drive system. Wait what? AWD on a Hyundai this small? Yup, that's no typo, but unfortunately we might not see it on the production i30 N.

Beyond the extremely powerful drivetrain, the RN30 Concept also features a number of performance-enhancing technologies such as an electronic variable exhaust, and an electronic limited-slip differential.

But the RN30 Concept is not just powerful. It's also loaded with innovative weight-saving components made from all-new, high-performance plastic materials developed in collaboration with BASF. Hyundai says that this new material is "light, highly durable, and environmentally-friendly, and is used throughout the new concept to help boost handling and acceleration." There's no word why these plastic materials are better than carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) though.

Conclusion

Although its products have improved dramatically in recent years, Hyundai still hasn't managed to get rid of its "cheap" label, with most customers still preferring well-established European brands like Ford, Volkswagen and Renault. But things are likely to change with the new, European-designed lineup, and the RN30 concept will mark the beginning of a new era for the South Korean automaker. One during which the brand will join its competitors on the performance market. If the RN30 generates enough buzz and the production i30 N comes with a convincing package and strong performance, Hyundai could see a spectacular hike in sales over the next few years.