If anybody still has doubts Hyundai has what it takes to build performance cars, this should put them to rest.

Hyundai's European division posted a video to YouTube on Tuesday showing the prototype of its upcoming i30 N being tested on a frozen lake. The hot hatch will be the first performance car from its new N performance brand, and is expected to lose its camouflage within the coming months.

The car is based on the recently revealed 2018 i30 — sold in the U.S. as the Elantra GT^[1] — which is one of the best-looking models to ever sport a Hyundai badge. However, the i30 N without question is the best-sounding car the Korean automaker has ever built, with its exhaust producing a raspy growl similar to what comes out of the back of a Ford Focus RS.

Hyundai hasn't released any technical details on the i30 N, but based on the video, it appears to be front wheel drive, positioning it as a competitor for the Ford Focus ST and Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Unfortunately, Hyundai doesn't plan to sell^[2] its first N car stateside, likely fearful it can't tap into the U.S. hot hatch market as successfully^[3] as Ford has. Still, we can't help but think if Hyundai gave Americans the opportunity to see what its engineers really are capable of, it would have had little trouble building a consumerbase for the i30 N.

Thumbnail photo via Hyundai