"The First Year of N Brand Popularization"... Kona Also Launches 'N Line'

Following Last Month's Avante N Line... Sonata, Kona, and More N Lineup Expansion Within the Year

Hyundai Motor's 'The New Kona' N Line teaser image (Photo by Hyundai Motor) [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Hyundai Motor Company is accelerating the popularization of its high-performance ‘N’ brand by adding the N Line to the new model of the representative compact sports utility vehicle (SUV), Kona, which will be released in October.

According to the industry on the 30th, Hyundai Motor unveiled teaser images of the Kona’s upgraded model, ‘The New Kona,’ and The New Kona N Line on the 26th. Hyundai explained, “The new Kona N Line adopts an N Line-exclusive design emphasizing aerodynamic technology, inheriting and developing its unique sporty image.”

The N Line is positioned between the regular models and the high-performance ‘N’ brand models in Hyundai’s product lineup. It is a ‘quasi high-performance’ lineup that resembles the design and driving feel of the N brand.

This year, Hyundai has been rapidly expanding the N lineup, lowering the entry barriers to high-performance vehicles. In April, it released a facelift model of the Veloster N, the first domestic model of the N brand, adding an 8-speed wet dual-clutch transmission specification. Last month, Hyundai added the N Line to the new Avante for the first time as a volume model. Within this year, the Sonata, another key model, will also join the N Line lineup.

All New Avante N Line (Photo by Hyundai Motor Company)

In addition, Hyundai plans to release five N lineup models within this year, including the Kona N and Tucson N. This means that the N lineup, which was limited to models like the i30 N starting in 2017, Veloster N in 2018, and i30 N Line, will more than double. Above all, there is anticipation that the high-performance vehicle market will grow rapidly as the N lineup, which had been introduced mainly in niche models, expands to sedans as well as the recently popular SUVs. Hyundai plans to further expand the N brand lineup to electrified models in the future.

An industry official said, “There is a growing trend of consumers, especially among younger generations, who want driving performance and driving enjoyment,” adding, “As the entry barriers are lowered and opportunities to experience high-performance vehicles without burden increase, the demand in this market will also grow.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.