Hyundai i20 N 2020 confirmed! Fiesta ST, Polo GTI rival on the cards for Australia

The much-rumoured Hyundai i20 N has at last been confirmed, with the fire-breathing city car spied undergoing testing at Germany's famed Nurburgring.

And in exciting news for fans of micro hot hatches, Hyundai in Australia has confirmed an i20 N would be on the cards for a local launch, with executives saying they would work on the business case for the Fiesta ST, Polo GTI rival.

Details remain thin on the ground for now, but it is expected that the i20 N will make use of Hyundai's turbocharged 1.6-litre engine, with power pushed up to around 150kW (a significant boost from the standard car's 73.5kW when it was last offered in Australia).

Elsewhere, you can expect the full N treatment, including sportier suspension, larger wheels and bigger brakes, as well as a lower ride height and dual-tipped exhaust. The prototype vehicle spotted was manual-only (not unlike the current i30 N) but eagle-eyed fans also noticed new strut braces behind the back seats to help with body stiffness.

The original i20 was dropped from the Australian line-up several years ago, with Hyundai unable to secure the pricing it needed to compete in the cost-competitive city-car field. But it is understood an N-stamped i20 would be right back on the company's wish list. While the i30 is built in the Czech Republic, the i20 comes from a plant in Turkey, but it's also understood the difference in factory wouldn't be a deterrent in introducing the i20 N to Oz.

"We've made no secret of the fact our focus is on building an N performance family, and so we will of course be studying the business case for any new product that should become available," says Hyundai spokesperson Guido Schenken.

"And an i20 N isn't ruled out."

Would you be in the queue for an i20 N? Tell us in the comments below.