The good folks at AutoTrader have posted a Hyundai Kona N review on their YouTube channel. Kona N, for those not familiar is Hyundai’s performance oriented small-SUV.
I had always heard that Hyundai named it’s Performance Division “N” as a playful jab directed at BMW, whose own performance division is called “M.” After all, when Hyundai snatched away key BMW executives, what comes after “M,” but “N!” While I love this rendition of the story the AutoTrader video suggests a more likely narrative, that Hyundai’s N is named after the Nurburgring, where many manufacturers go to prove the metal of new performance cars. Or, that “N” pays homage to Namyang South Korea, which incidentally is where Hyundai’s Research and Development facility is located.
Whatever the back-story, the Kona N apparently well lives up to the “N” badging.