Hyundai is developing a mid-engine sports car for production.

The production car is expected to be a less radical version of the Hyundai RM19 concept that debuted at the 2019 Los Angeles auto show.

A Hyundai rep told Car and Driver that the production model is still a couple years away from reaching dealers.

Hyundai is readying a mid-engine sports car for production. After Road & Track first reported that news, a company rep confirmed as much directly to Car and Driver. "Biermann doesn't do these things just for kicks," the rep said, referring to Albert Biermann, Hyundai's head of research and development.

Biermann, who previously worked for BMW's fabled M division, is one of the founding fathers behind Hyundai's nascent N performance sub-brand. The first N car in the U.S., the Hyundai Veloster N, is a raucous and capable hot hatch that can run with established players such as the Volkswagen Golf GTI and the Honda Civic Type R. The mid-engine car would serve as a halo model for both the N brand and the larger Hyundai lineup.

Hyundai

The Hyundai spokesman told Car and Driver that it will be a couple years before the mid-engine Hyundai appears in showrooms. At the 2019 Los Angeles auto show, Hyundai showed the RM19 concept, which packs a 390-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four between its rear wheels. The concept is built around a Hyundai Veloster body with extreme fender flares and aerodynamic devices. We're told that the production model won't deviate far from concept, although it will likely lose the extreme fender flares and aero addenda. "It wouldn't look dissimilar," the Hyundai rep told Car and Driver.



The concept car is said to hit 60 mph in less than four seconds on the way to a top speed in excess of 155 mph. It turns the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox that's identical to what's used in Hyundai's TCR race car. In press materials, Hyundai says the vehicle could also support various forms of electrification. That same press release includes a quote from Thomas Schemera, executive vice president and head of Hyundai Motor Group’s Product Division, which also alludes to a mid-engine production car: “The RM19 sports car signals future brand aspirations for Hyundai’s high-performance N brand, solidly moving N into the prestigious arena of supercar-level performance,” Schemera said in the statement.

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