Hyundai is cooking up an i30 N Fastback

- Hyundai was spotted cold weather testing the i30 N Fastback near the Arctic Circle

- Third N treated vehicle in Hyundai’s performance line-up.

- Will get the same performance and styling as the hatchback but with a slopping roofline and an added boot.

- It will be positioned between the i30 N and Veloster N when it arrives sometime next year.

The N is to Hyundai as the M Division is to BMW and the AMG is to Mercedes. The hot N division was pioneered with the i30 N which won laurels for its performance and a competitive nature. It was joined by the Veloster N earlier this year which is even meaner than the Veloster Turbo. Now, up in the Arctic Circle, Hyundai was busy testing the i30 N Fastback which was spied for the first time.

The i30 N Fastback would simply add a sensuous-looking yet a practical boot to the i30 N hatchback. Performance figures will be similar and so will be the styling. However, compared to the hatch, the N treated Fastback compromises on the rear headroom owing to the sloping roofline. The tail lights under the cladding and the dual-circular exhaust tips on the test mule is directly borrowed from the i30 N hatchback.

Under the hood, the hot i30 N Fastback will plonk in the fully-blown 2.0-litre turbocharged four-pot petrol engine which punches out 247bhp as standard. Hyundai will surely provide the optional Performance Pack that would push the output to 271bhp. All the hardware like the electronic differential, six-speed manual transmission and the driving modes will be offered with the Fastback as well. The i30 N hatchback does 0-100kmph sprint in 6.4 seconds and has a restricted top speed of 250kmph. The same performance figures are expected in the Fastback guise as well.

When launched sometime next year, the i30 N Fastback will be positioned between the N hatch and the Veloster N. It will rival the Ford Focus RS sedan which is also due for a long time now.