HYUNDAI is planning a hot hatch with performance to rival the likes of the Audi RS series and even BMW's mighty M machines.

Dressed to thrill, the Hyundai RN30 was revealed at the Paris Motor Show in concept form by Albert Biermann - the Korean company's newly-appointed head of high performance cars.

Based on the new generation Hyundai i30, the RN30 was born as a racing machine, and is the first example Hyundai's new range of N sports models announced last year.

Powered by a 2.0-litre turbo boosted to 380 horsepower the RN30 is in the same league as the likes of Ford's Focus RS and the BMW M2.

"The RN30 embodies the concept of a strong, high-performance car that brings dynamic, sporty driving," said Mr Biermann, who joined Hyundai after working for BMW's M division.

"Soon to evolve into our first N model, the RN30 is inspired by our passion to provide a high-performance car that everybody can enjoy effortlessly."

With huge spoilers and aerodynamic body kit, the RN30 concept has already undergone testing at the legendary Nurburgring in Germany and Mr Biermann said that an i30N was already slated for development as a production car and due for release next year.

When developing the RN30, Hyundai's designers and engineers took a new approach to reducing weight and lowering the center of gravity.

Instead of using carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) common to most high-performance cars, Hyundai broke the mould with all-new high-performance plastic materials, developed in collaboration with leading global chemical company BASF.

The lightweight body is designed to boost handling and acceleration while inside the interior was stripped down and the seats pushed back and lowered to achieve a low centre of gravity, ideal for performance driving.

The RN30 has been developed at Hyundai Kia's research and development centre in Namyang in Korea where Mr Biermann is based.