Skip advert
Advertisement

Hyundai and Rimac team-up for new 2020 electric sports car

Hyundai Group invests £70m in Croatian electric sports car firm with view to developing fully-electric and fuel cell sports cars by 2020

The Hyundai Group has announced a £70m investment in Croatian high-performance electric sports car firm Rimac, which will see the firms form a technical partnership to deliver two 'high-performance' electrified vehicles by 2020. 

The new cars, which will presumably launch under Hyundai's 'N' performance brand, will include a 'high-performance fuel cell electric vehicle', plus a fully electric version of an upcoming, flagship mid-engined sports car for the N brand. 

Advertisement - Article continues below

Hot Hyundai I20 N spotted at the Nurburgring

Very little is known about the upcoming mid-engined N halo car beyond confirmation that we'll get to learn more next year and that a fully electric version of it is in development. The only link to it in Hyundai's back catalogue and our spy shot folder is the RM16 N Concept. Revealed in 2016 at the Busan Motor Show in South Korea it was the launch vehicle for the N division, but running versions of the car were developed and lapped at the Nurburgring.

The RM16 N is in essence a radically modified version of the Veloster. Under the skin the hatchback is powered by a 296bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine supplemented by an electric turbocharger, which sends power to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.

The RM16 N concept is one of three RM concept cars developed under the Project RM name, but all have been used as rolling test beds for high-performance technologies and little else.

Also, by the time we hear more about the new mid-engined N flagship in 2020, the RM16 N design will be four years old, so we anticipate the car will be a wholly new proposition. 

The Hyundai Group's £70m investment is split unevenly across both the Hyundai and Kia brands. While Hyundai has confirmed it will use Rimac's developments for two electric sports cars, Kia looks set to use its stake in Rimac's technology to develop battery and motor technlogy for an upcoming all-electric coupe SUV based on the Imagine by Kia concept, which will use a brand new Hyundai Group electric platform.

Hyundai isn't the first mainstream player to take interest in Rimac. Porsche purchased a minority stake in the company last year.

Do you think Hyundai and Rimac will make a good team? Let us know below... 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Best new cars coming in 2024
Best new cars coming in 2024 - header image
Best cars & vans

Best new cars coming in 2024

There are some big new models from the likes of BMW, Citroen, Dacia, Ford, MINI, Skoda and more on the way in 2024
12 Mar 2024
Hyundai Casper: dinky electric SUV to ghost in as Citroen e-C3 rival
Hyundai Casper (camouflaged) - front 3/4
News

Hyundai Casper: dinky electric SUV to ghost in as Citroen e-C3 rival

Hyundai’s entry-level EV is rumoured to be arriving in Europe sometime this year
5 Feb 2024
Is there a place for hydrogen in the zero-emissions future? Hyundai has the answers
Hydrogen pump
News

Is there a place for hydrogen in the zero-emissions future? Hyundai has the answers

The Korean firm is forging ahead with hydrogen, showing off its latest hydrogen technology at CES 2024
12 Jan 2024
Part helicopter, part plane, all electric: Hyundai’s Supernal S-A2 is as quiet as a dishwasher and ready to fly
Hyundai Supernal S-A2 - front
News

Part helicopter, part plane, all electric: Hyundai’s Supernal S-A2 is as quiet as a dishwasher and ready to fly

Korean maker is expanding its mobility portfolio with new eVTOL personal transport
10 Jan 2024

Most Popular

Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years
Upcoming Audi models - four-way image
News

Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years

After a quiet few years, the German giant is gearing up for its biggest product onslaught to date
25 Mar 2024
Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power
Dacia Sandero - front
News

Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power

Both the Sandero and Sandero Stepway ranges have been tweaked, gaining more safety features to meet the latest regulations
26 Mar 2024
Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay
Road tax documentation
News

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay

Drivers with newer cars can expect to be paying roughly £10 more per year, a although the biggest gas guzzlers will fare the worst
26 Mar 2024