Hyundai begins production of
the i30 N, and will make 1450
this year

The Hyundai car plant is coming to market with the i30 N. The i30 N variant is based on the five-door hatchback Hyundai i30. The new i30 N will have a 2.0 turbo petrol engine. Compared to the hatchback it will feature different chassis, brakes, seats, interior and some bodywork parts. By the end of this year, 1450 units will be produced in the Nošovice factory, and these will mainly go to Germany and the United Kingdom, where there is strong demand for the car.

The Hyundai i30 N is the brainchild of Albert Biermann, the famous BMW M division car designer, who joined the Hyundai Motor Group in 2015 to oversee production of high-performance vehicles. The i30 N is his first work for Hyundai. The i30 N sports car will be the third variant of the Hyundai i30, produced at HMMC in Nošovice. The largest share of car production here is the Tucson (68 %), followed by the i30 (24 %) and the ix20 (8 %). More than a quarter of a million cars have left the Nošovice factory this year.
The i30 N will not achieve high-volume sales, but sends a clear message to competitors in the European market. “The i30 N is primarily a matter of Hyundai’s image. With this car, we want to make it clear that our brand can also produce a beautiful and first-class sports car that can boldly compete with other car brands, ”says Dongwoo Choi, President of Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech.

By the end of 2017, 1450 i30 N cars will have been produced and most will end up in Western European markets. “The i30 N is particularly popular in Germany, where the first 100 units were sold in 48 hours, and also in the UK,” adds Petr Vaněk. The German and British markets are among the destinations where Hyundai cars produced in Nošovice are most exported to. Only 5 % of the cars produced in Nošovice remain in the Czech Republic, with the rest going to 66 countries. Nošovice car plant Hyundai, ever since it opened, has achieved annual growth in production figures. Last year it produced 358400 cars, and this year that figure will rise yet again. The success of the factory and the contribution of Hyundai to the Czech economy are also evidenced by other figures – 97% of the 3,300 employees come from the Czech Republic as well as 72% of the parts needed to manufacture cars. 15 suppliers followed Hyundai from Korea to the Moravian-Silesian region, and now form the backbone of the production base of car parts at HMMC. “The Czech Republic is definitely not just a Hyundai cheap assembly shop. More than three thousand employees work in our plant, the vast majority of whom are citizens of the Moravian-Silesian region. This helps to boost employment in one of the least affluent regions of the Czech Republic, where the average monthly wage is just above CZK 25000. HMMC has significantly increases the long-term average. The average income in the blue-collar professions at HMMC is CZK 34512,” adds Petr Vaněk.