Hyundai Heaves Hefty Hints of a Hotter Hatch

Hyundai’s plans to diversify the Elantra lineup continues apace, with the automaker dropping teaser images of the next GT hatch and posting a video of a possible N-badged high-performance variant.

Expect more maturity and style from the hatchback Elantra, and, if the automaker is really serious about its N Division, a turbocharged stick-shift funmobile with room for camping equipment.

In Europe, the model goes by another name, so the next-generation i30’s September 7 unveiling will give us a good look at the stateside Elantra GT. Playing catch-up to its sedan sibling, which bowed earlier this year as a 2017 model, the GT’s official debut happens later this month at the Paris Motor Show.

The next-generation model sports more refined styling, with a “cascading” front grille that resembles the sedan’s and (from certain angles) some Infiniti models. Hyundai promises an “efficient and dynamic powertrain line-up,” meaning we’ll likely see Eco and Sport versions of the updated hatch.

The 2017 Elantra Sport features a turbocharged 1.6-liter direct-injection four-cylinder making “more than” 200 horsepower and 190 pounds-feet of torque, according to the automaker. That mill would give Hyundai a player in the hot hatch field. However, a video posted by the company suggests a more sport-tuned offering could be in the works.

The video, posted on Hyundai’s YouTube channel, is titled “N in Progress,” and shows a camo-clad four-door hatch navigating a hairpin-heavy closed course. The vehicle looks like a current generation GT, but a modified one at that.

Will we finally see a production Hyundai GT variant with N Division fingerprints on it? If so, the upcoming Honda Civic Si can expect competition from the Koreans.