Hyundai is remaining committed to offering its driver-focused models with manual transmissions.
The South Korean car manufacturer has really found its mojo in recent years with the launch of its N performance division and set the hot hatch market alight with the beloved i30 N, sold exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission. Hyundai recently launched an optional eight-speed dual-clutch for the Veloster N and will soon offer it with the i30 N but that doesn’t mean the stick shift is going anywhere.
Read More: Hyundai Readying More ‘N’ Models, Including Rumored Hot Elantra With 271 HP
During a recent interview with Motoring, Hyundai product planner Howard Lam will look to offer drivers the option of a manual and dual-clutch ‘box into the future.
“Where possible, we would continue to like to offer buyers the choice of a manual transmission for purists or the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission,” Lam said. “It’s hard to say what growth we will achieve, but we understand that our competitors who offer an automatic have achieved significant mix with those transmission. We’ll just have to wait. I would say more people will buy the auto than the manual.”
Hyundai is readying a series of N-badged performance models for the coming years. The first cab off the ranks is expected to be a punchy i20 N designed as a rival to the likes of the Volkswagen Polo GTI, Ford Fiesta ST, and Renault Clio RS. This model is tipped to have a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder petrol engine with roughly 200 hp and will be sold as standard with a six-speed manual but a dual-clutch is certainly looking likely to be offered also.
Other Hyundai N models thought to be on the horizon include a Kona N and an Elantra N.
