The time may have finally arrived for Hyundai to take its next step as a brand and build a true hero sports car.

The South Korean giant has spent the last few years building its performance reputation with its line-up of N models as well as expanding into electric cars with its Ioniq range. Those two will combine in 2023 with the launch of the Ioniq 5 N and it could open the door for Hyundai to launch its long-awaited sports car.

The Hyundai N Vision 74 reset people’s expectations for the brand, with the retro-styled hydrogen-electric hybrid wowing everyone when it was unveiled earlier in 2022. Now the man who helped create the N Performance brand (as well as the Kia Stinger) believes the time may be right for Hyundai to step into the sports car contest.

Albert Biermann, formerly head of R&D for Hyundai Motor Group and now executive technical advisor, was in Australia for the recent Hyundai N Festival in South Australia and spoke to the media about the brand’s performance future.

Hyundai made little secret of its ambition to build a ‘mid-engine super sports car’ for many years, and Mr Biermann has confirmed there were plans for one with the choice of both a petrol and electric powertrain. However, mid-way through 2021 Hyundai’s head of marketing, Thomas Schemera, indicated the brand wasn’t convinced it could make the leap to selling an expensive sports car.

Mr Biermann believes that is no longer the case, with the introduction of the…