This is not a difficult or new formula for any car company to come out with. I do hope they bring any of these to the USA, including the top line 271hp 6-speed manual version. It's a shame that any possibility of that will exclude a 3-door hatchback... arguably the best looking body style in this category.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/hyundai-...les-98041.html

 

Wow, aimed at the VW Golf (and its variants) much? Don't get me wrong, looks good, but looks just like a Golf. Flattering.

 

A decent one for sure, but, from what I can tell, just another typical pocket-rocket. The big question is if there really much of a market for this type of vehicle in the U.S. right now? It's easy, of course, to say "Bring it Over", but will doing that actually make it sell?

 

Hard to say if they would add this to the existing Elantra GT line, which already gets you 201 hp and the IRS Euro-spec rear suspension. The i30N isn't likely to come on over, but apparently Hyundai may have something up its sleeve to counter the Focus ST, Civic SiR competition.

But at least there is the existing Elantra GT, six speed manual or automatic to satiate hatch fans. Good looking car, clean lines.

 

The continued success of cars like the Focus ST/RS, Civic Si and now Type R, Subaru WRX/STI, let alone the Golf/GTI would say that yes, these would indeed sell, and could provide a strong halo for the standard product line as well.

 

^^ This.

And... if it's not for sale in the USA you can't expect anyone to buy it. Then they just can't. Self-fulfilling prophecy for the market so denied. At least not until 25 years have passed so that whatever version of the car was sold new in another market can be imported to the U.S.

There are only a handful of these types of authentic high performance small cars available brand new in the USA at any given time. Of those, the most preferable models with the best bang for the buck are always marked up quite a bit. More competition in the same category can only help the accessibility of the segment.

People tend to keep buying hot hatchbacks despite industry analysts saying the sky is falling for hot hatchbacks-- especially anything with a manual transmission and a turbo. Anything that is produced with 230hp or (much) more, a stick shift and AWD still tends to be in demand... and of course becomes "market adjusted" up in price by dealers who sell them.

They may not be high volume model trims but there are always people who want to buy any such model so long as the engineers did their jobs well and it is a delight, rather than a turd, to drive.