Hyundai’s plans to field a supercar to help launch its N performance brand — rivaling the Acura NSX, Audi R8 and Porsche 911 Turbo — have been officially scrapped.
Albert Biermann, who steered Hyundai’s N division until he retired in 2021, told Top Gear last week that the project — nicknamed the Chairman’s Car — would have cost over $150,000.
“At that time it was thought a Hyundai could not have this price,” Biermann said.
The N supercar featured a carbon-fiber tub chassis and midengine layout.
“We had plans for a petrol [engine] with or without hybrid, or [the car could have accepted] a hydrogen fuel cell,” he said.
The supercar project’s demise hasn’t stopped Hyundai from dreaming, though, most recently with the N Vision 74 concept. The high-performance hydrogen fuel cell hybrid introduced in July was inspired by Hyundai’s heritage, namely the 1974 Hyundai Pony Coupe concept created by Giorgetto Giugiaro.