Hyundai Motor Company, along with the game developer Polyphony Digital, has announced that the Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR will be added to Gran Turismo 7 in the January 2026 update. The touring car will appear as ELANTRA N TCR in the game, which is the international name for the same vehicle. Hyundai aims to expand its role in e-motorsport by adding the i30 Sedan N TCR.
Joon Park, the VP of N Brand Management Group at Hyundai Motor Company, also added, “We will continue to strengthen our partnership with Gran Turismo by introducing next-generation high-performance vehicles and race cars that bridge the virtual and real worlds, driving Hyundai N’s passion for performance.”
Hyundai i30 N Sedan TCR joins Gran Turismo 7
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The Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR will appear as ELANTRA N TCR (international name) in Gran Turismo 7 in the January 2026 update. This timing also marks the 10th anniversary of Hyundai’s N performance brand.
The announcement was made at the Gran Turismo World Series 2025 World Final in Fukuoka, Japan. This event also celebrated 10 years of partnership between Hyundai Motor and Polyphony Digital (the game maker).
Hyundai joined Gran Turismo in 2015 with the N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo, a futuristic hydrogen concept car. Since then, cars like the IONIQ 5 N and ELANTRA N have appeared in the PlayStation game.
Motorsport success of the Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR
The i30 Sedan N TCR or ELANTRA N TCR is one of the most successful touring cars ever. It has won:
- Two consecutive TCR Australia Driver’s Championships (2023-2024)
- At Nürburgring 24 Hours for five years in a row (2021–2025)
- FIA TCR World Tour Drivers’ Championship three times (2022–2024)
A touring car is based on a normal production vehicle, usually a four-door sedan or hatchback, but heavily modified for racing. Unlike Formula 1 or exotic GT race cars, touring cars are closely related to road vehicles that people can buy from dealerships.
Extra Hyundai N content in Gran Turismo 7
The January 2026 update also adds a Hyundai N-themed menu at GT Café and new content in the Hyundai Museum at Brand Central. These features allow players to explore Hyundai N’s history and technology.
Highlights of the Gran Turismo World Series 2025 World Final
The i30 Sedan N TCR announcement about its inclusion in the game was made on a global stage by top leaders. Here are the highlights of the Gran Turismo World Series 2025 World Final:
- Location: Fukuoka International Congress Centre, Japan
- Dates: December 20–21, 2025
- Presentation: December 21, 2025
- Speakers: Joon Park (VP and Head of the N Brand Management Group) and Kazunori Yamauchi (President of Polyphony Digital)
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What is Gran Turismo and why does it matter for Aussies?
Gran Turismo is a renowned racing simulation game developed by Polyphony Digital for the PlayStation. It is known for realistic driving physics, highly detailed cars, and its focus on real car culture. This game allows Aussie car racing enthusiasts to drive rare or expensive cars, such as supercars or high-performance Japanese models.
Since Gran Turismo 3, the series has featured well-known Australian-made cars, including the Ford Falcon XR8, FPV F6 Typhoon, and Holden Commodore SS. And after many years of fan requests, the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst was added to Gran Turismo 6 in 2013.
The City of Bathurst later named a street “Gran Turismo Drive” to recognise this moment. Through the GT Academy (driver development program), Australian gamers were able to move from virtual racing into professional motorsport. The program even allowed players to compete for real racing contracts, such as with the Nissan Nismo.
MORE: History of the muscle car in Australia and beyond
About the Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR
Hyundai N is the brand’s performance division, similar to BMW M or Mercedes-AMG. The “N” represents Namyang in South Korea (Hyundai’s Global R&D Centre) and the Nürburgring (testing centre) in Germany.
The first N car, the i30 N, launched globally in 2017 and arrived in Australia in 2018. In 2023, the i30 Sedan N became the top-selling full N model in Australia, making it Hyundai’s most successful performance car locally.
The i30 Sedan N TCR is available in two versions in Australia:
- Race car: i30 Sedan N TCR is sold only for professional racing through HMO Customer Racing (agent)
- Road car: A street-legal i30 Sedan N TCR Edition is available from 2025
The i30 Sedan N TCR Edition (road car) uses a 2.0L turbo petrol engine producing 206kW, or 213kW with N Grin Shift. It produces 392Nm of torque, reaches 250km/h, and accelerates from 0–100km/h in 5.3 seconds.
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