Hyundai has traveled to the Busan Auto Show in South Korea to introduce a wild-looking concept called RM16 N.
As its name implies, the RM16 N is a follow-up to the existing Veloster Midship and RM15 concepts. Like its predecessors, it loosely resembles a Veloster but it uses a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that’s mounted directly behind the passenger compartment. The mill relies on an electric turbocharger to generate nearly 300 horsepower, and it spins the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential. Unfortunately, performance specifications are being kept under wraps for the time being.
The Veloster resemblance is only skin-deep. The RM16 N is built on an aluminum space frame, and its body panels are crafted out of carbon fiber in order to shed as much weight as possible. The mid-engined setup puts 43 percent of the concept’s weight on the front axle, and 57 percent on the rear axle.
The RM16 N immediately stands out from Hyundai’s previous mid-engined concepts thanks to an aerodynamic front end design characterized by sleeker headlights, and a low nose accented by a wide air dam. Large vents located directly behind the doors direct cooling air to the engine bay. The cabin has been upgraded with a pair of sport seats, though we’ll have to take Hyundai’s word for it because photos haven’t been published yet.
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The South Korean carmaker has been teasing us with mid-engined concepts for a couple of years, and none of them have ever been given the proverbial green light for production. We know that Hyundai is planning an onslaught of high-performance models in the coming years, but it’s too early to tell whether the lineup will include a toned-down version of one of the RM concepts.
For what it’s worth, Hyundai explains that the main purpose of the RM concepts is “to develop core high performance technologies” that will trickle down to future N-badged models.
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