Hyundai Motor to launch new high-performance brand tier between N and N Line

7-plus new N models by 2030

Expansion to 40-plus global markets

Annual sales target of 100,000 units

High-performance market coverage to rise from 30% to 60%-plus

New high-performance lineup to sit between N and N Line

Brand name not yet decided

Hyundai Motor President and CEO Jose Munoz presents at the automaker's 2026 CEO Investor Day at Conrad Seoul hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. [Hyundai Motor]

Hyundai Motor plans to grow its high-performance N brand to annual sales of 100,000 units — five times the roughly 20,000 vehicles it sold last year — and will create an entirely new "volume high-performance" lineup positioned between the existing N and N Line tiers. The strategy marks a push beyond N's track-focused image into the broader everyday performance car market.

The company unveiled the plan at its 2026 CEO Investor Day, held Wednesday at Conrad Seoul hotel in Yeouido.

"High-performance cars are not just an emotional business — they are a profitable one," President and CEO Jose Munoz said. "Hyundai N currently covers about 30 percent of the high-performance market, and we will raise that to more than 60 percent by 2030."

Hyundai Motor said it will introduce more than seven new N models by 2030 and expand sales to more than 40 markets worldwide, with the goal of quintupling annual N brand sales from last year's 20,000 units to 100,000 within five years.

The company will also broaden its product lineup by inserting a new mass-market high-performance tier between the full-performance N and the design-and-styling-focused N Line. An official brand name has not yet been decided.

"We plan to launch new models between N and N Line," Munoz said. "The new volume-oriented high-performance derivatives will target customers who want the joy of high-performance driving in their everyday lives."

The new tier is designed to bridge the price and performance gap between N and N Line. N models are full-performance vehicles built with track driving in mind, while N Line adds high-performance styling elements to standard models. The new lineup will occupy the middle ground, targeting customers who want stronger performance than N Line but also everyday usability.

Hyundai Motor said the new products will share powertrains and components with base models while featuring high-performance specifications and a differentiated design package. The company also plans to boost profitability through N Performance Parts and accessories.

The current N lineup comprises five models — the i20 N, i30 N, Elantra N, Ioniq 5 N and Ioniq 6 N — while N Line has expanded to 12 models: the i10, i20, i30, Elantra, Sonata, Venue, Creta, Kona, Tucson, Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and Ioniq 3.

"We currently have five N models on sale and 12 N Line products," Munoz said. "Trust in our high-performance cars was earned on the motorsport stage before the vehicles ever reached a showroom, and we are now spreading that competitive edge across Hyundai Motor's entire lineup."

An Ioniq 6 N navigates a wet track at the HMG Driving Experience Center. [Hyundai Motor Group]

High-performance electric vehicles are central to the N expansion. The Ioniq 5 N and Ioniq 6 N have each been named World Performance Car, building N's performance credentials in the electric segment. Hyundai Motor said it plans to extend the lineup into high-performance segments it has yet to enter, including entry-level and volume electric vehicles, premium SUVs and sports cars.

Hyundai Motor's broader strategy is to use N not merely as a sales driver but as a "halo" that elevates the appeal of the entire brand. Technology and image validated in motorsport will filter down to mass-production vehicles, N Line models and the new volume high-performance tier, widening the company's customer touchpoints.

"The new volume high-performance lineup will occupy the market that exists between N and N Line, where real sales volume lies," Munoz said. "It will give customers who want to feel the thrill of high-performance driving on their daily commute a new option to choose from."

kwater@heraldcorp.com