Hyundai Motor executive vice president Albert Biermann poses Tuesday with the N 2015 Vision Gran Turismo at the Frankfurt motor show. Hyundai Motor
FRANKFURT, Germany ― Hyundai Motor, Korea’s top automaker, debuted its new brand N for high-performance cars when it unveiled the N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo concept car during the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, which kicked off on Tuesday.
Hyundai’s ambition to go the extra mile and compete with its global rivals has taken shape since it hired Albert Biermann, former chief engineer of BMW’s performance sub-brand M last year.
As executive vice president, Biermann is the second-highest foreign executive at Hyundai Motor after design chief Peter Schreyer.
According to the company, N is the initial of Hyundai’s two organizations responsible for planning and development of N models ― Hyundai’s Namyang R&D center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, and its Nurburgring test center in Germany.
“Hyundai’s high-performance cars will be developed based on its motorsport experience and technology. So they will offer the most thrilling winding road fun to customers,” Biermann said at a news conference.
The head of Hyundai’s N project at Namyang R&D center further explained the vision for the brand, unveiling N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo, Hyundai’s first concept car with the N badge. The concept car with a futuristic look is a virtual race car for Sony’s Gran Turismo 6 video game.
Biermann said the design of the car is inspired by aeronautics with an ultralow-slung stance with fighter jet design elements like the cockpit and wing-shaped headlights and taillights.
Alongside the first N concept car, Hyundai displayed other works to showcase its technological capability to develop high performance cars.
The RM15 concept car, which debuted earlier this year at the Seoul Motor Show, is one of the displayed products. Powered by a mid-mounted 300 horsepower and 2.0-liter engine, the concept also previews future developments of Hyundai’s N models.
In addition, the new Hyundai i20 World Rally Championship car was put onstage during the motor show. The new rally car will make its competitive debut at the WRC in 2016.
By Seo Jee-yeon, Korea Herald correspondent (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)
