Hyundai Motor is stepping up its push to connect its high-performance N brand with younger consumers through esports, launching the 2026 Hyundai N Virtual Cup, one of South Korea’s largest sim-racing championships. The automaker said Tuesday that the competition will be held in partnership with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the G-STAR Organizing Committee, bringing together the automotive, gaming and esports industries. Launched in 2024, the Hyundai N Virtual Cup has grown into a large-scale sim-racing event designed to bridge real-world motorsports and virtual racing. This year’s competition will use Gran Turismo 7, the globally recognized racing simulation title that has also been selected as an official esports discipline for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Hyundai has previously supported the national selection event for Gran Turismo 7 at the first round of the 2026 Hyundai N Festival in May, providing official sim-racing equipment for aspiring national team members. The automaker will also bring one of its most symbolic N-branded vehicles into the virtual competition. The Hyundai N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo, the concept car unveiled in 2015 to mark the beginning of the N brand, will serve as the official race car. Online qualifying begins Aug. 14, with 24 of Korea’s top sim racers advancing to the main championship. The event will also feature separate competitions for university students and influencers, broadening participation beyond professional racers. The championship will consist of three rounds held at major gaming and motorsports venues across Korea. The opening round will take place Sept. 20 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul in conjunction with the city’s Games and Esports event. Hyundai will operate an N sim-racing experience zone and display N high-performance models alongside real-world race cars used in competitions such as the World Rally Championship and TCR. The second round is scheduled for Oct.