A new report out of South Korea suggests that the Hyundai Motor Group is hard at work developing a new 2,5-litre GDi petrol engine family that will bear the “Theta III” name and essentially replace the current 2,0-litre engine line-up.
According to Motorgraph, Hyundai plans to offer the new, upsized mill in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms, for front- and rear-wheel-drive applications.
Interestingly, a third version, with its displacement reduced to 2,3 litres, is reportedly also on the cards. And, according to the report, this (also turbocharged) unit could be used in an upcoming mid-engine sports car. Of course, Hyundai has already confirmed that its high-performance N division is working on what it bills as a “serious” two-seater sports car, and this may well be the engine to power that model.
The first engine from the Theta III family will apparently debut in the Genesis G80 executive sedan in 2019. The Motorgraph report suggests that the 2,5-litre turbopetrol will make around 208 kW in front-wheel-drive guise and 225 kW in rear-wheel-drive configuration.
And that 2,3-litre for use in a mid-engine sports car? Well, Motorgraph suggests a figure of around 260 kW…
