



Today we were surprised by the picture of a car spotted in South Korea towed by a truck. The car is like a Veloster N, and has the “MR23T” letterhead on the side and back of the car together with “N” badge and side air intakes. MR means Mid-Engine/Rear-Wheel Drive car.

What we know so far?

In a concept form, the Hyundai Midship was developed using a Veloster Turbo as a base but with only three doors. In 2012, Hyundai embarked on a project called RM (Racing Midship) to develop and connect new high-performance motorsports technologies with future N models.

Since the initiation of project RM and via evolution of the RM series (RM14, RM15 and RM16), RM models underwent extensive road testing to validate newly-developed technologies, observe their effects on performance, and improve them for subsequent application on future N models.

The latest iteraction of this RM models were the RM19, a second-gen Veloster that Hyundai presented at Los Angeles Auto Show on November 2019. “The RM platform is a versatile engineering testbed, allowing effective evaluation of various powertrains and performance levels, all on normal roads and environments,” said Albert Biermann, head of global research and development for Hyundai Motor Company.

“Throughout the evolution of the RM series, our engineers have gained tremendous hands-on knowledge of high performance vehicle dynamics with various front-to-rear weight distributions coupled with the effects of a fully-weighted, high-strength body structure on vehicle performance.” he added.





We have asked our sources in order to get an answer of what this spotted car could be, and we have received some interesting information like that this car has a 2.3 Turbo GDi engine with unknown power, but is also has an electric motor that will give an extra 80 hp to the total power, and then we noticed what Hyundai said at the RM19 press release.

“In addition to the gasoline version, state-of-the-art electrified powertrains could provide clean, yet thrilling propulsion for the RM19. As Hyundai boasts an industry-leading variety of electrified propulsion, including production HEV, PHEV, BEV and FCEV powertrains, various types of electrified powertrains are available for testing a high-performance electric sports car.”

Also our sources said that the MR23T is closer to production than ever and could turn into a bespoke N-performance brand halo car, but they’re pretty clear, and said the final design will be totally different, nothing related to Veloster. As soon as we get more details, we’ll be sure to keep you guys posted. Let us know what you think about this Hyundai MR car.