Hyundai RN30 concept arrives in Paris as a guide to the new Hyundai i30N

The Hyundai RN30 Concept has been revealed at the Paris Motor Show, a car which previews the first model from Hyundai’s new N Brand – the i30N.

A decade ago we were only just starting to get used to the idea that Hyundai was heading in the direction of mainstream credibility, with cars which looked like they would eventually be able to compete head to head with models from Volkswagen and Ford, rather than be bought on price alone.

But so much has changed in that last decade.

Not only do Hyundai’s cars match those from the mainstream, there’s a new luxury brand in Genesis and a new Performance brand to attack performance cars from those mainstream brands Hyundai has already caught up with.

The first car from Hyundai’s N Brand will be the i30N, but this car – the Hyundai RN30 Concept – gives us our first look at an extreme take on what will be on offer when  the i30N arrives in 2017.

The RN30 comes with a 2.0 litre turbo 4-pot delivering 374bhp and 333lb/ft of torque, four wheel drive, dual-clutch auto ‘box, electronic variable exhaust, electronic diff and lots of high performance plastics.

There’s also real concept-y/track stuff with OTT butterfly doors, floating wings, properly slammed suspension and graphics which look like they came from Halfords in Southend in 1979.

But none of that really matters too much, it’s the intended production model the RN30 previews that matters, and we’re not entirely sure where Hyundai are going with the i30N.

Clearly, it’s going to be aimed, at the very least, at the ‘Tier 2’ performance models like the VW Golf GTi and Ford Focus ST. But by demonstrating they can deliver, in the RN30, a car which would give the Focus RS and Golf R a very hard time, perhaps that’s where i30N is going?

Or maybe, a FWD ST/GTI competitor to kick off with in 2017, followed by an 130N ‘Plus’ a little later with 375bhp and 4WD?