The hot new Hyundai Ioniq 5 is in the works and will be hitting showrooms next year.
Having already proven to be one of the finest electric cars on sale, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 has been handed over to the company’s high-performance N division to create this: the Ioniq 5 N. Our spy photographers have caught the car testing at the Nurburgring ahead of its 2023 release, providing a glimpse at its more muscular design.
Sitting lower and wider than the standard car, the Ioniq 5 N will receive significantly reworked mechanicals to capture the essence of existing N cars like the i20 N and i30 N hot hatchbacks. The brand already has form in the performance SUV segment with the rampant Kona N crossover, but the Ioniq 5 N’s chassis and powertrain tech will be mostly derived from the N Vision 74 and RN22e concept cars.
At the front we expect the same matrix LED headlight set up as the regular Ioniq 5, but this test car bears a deeper front bumper with additional intakes to cool the N’s battery pack, which will endure higher loads than other models.
Given the extra straight-line punch, Hyundai will fit beefier brakes, an extended rear spoiler and a rear diffuser to reduce lift at speed. Vent openings ahead of and behind the front wheels will clean up airflow along the flanks, too. These exterior tweaks are shown in our exclusive render, giving us a clearer idea of how the supercar-baiting crossover will look.
Inside, the Ioniq 5’s interior is likely to get an N makeover with sportier, but still sustainable, materials used in the cabin, deep sports seats, a thicker steering wheel and revisions to the graphics on the digital instrument cluster. We would also expect some electronic trickery, with different chassis, power and control settings available to drivers.
Final details of the new Ioniq 5 N aren’t expected until next year, although Hyundai has confirmed that the car will be on sale in 2023 and that the RN22e concept is playing a role in the development of future electric N models.
The powertrain used for the RN22e provides a glimpse at what could be on offer with the Ioniq 5 N. The concept uses the same E-GMP platform as the Ioniq 5 N and the same 77.4kWh battery and dual-motor set-up for four-wheel drive that’s also available on the standard 5.
There is also the Kia EV6 GT which is built on the same platform and features the same 77.4kWh battery with two electric motors. In the Kia this results in 430kW and 740Nm of torque. The Kia offers a 3.5-second 0-100km/h time and 260km/h top speed; you’d expect the Ioniq 5 N to get similar numbers.
The RN22e includes a variety of other technology that could filter through to the Ioniq 5. A drift mode is available in the EV6 GT and it’s possible this could also feature on the Ioniq 5 N thanks to torque vectoring technology. There is a twin clutch torque vectoring system that is said by Hyundai to provide a ‘corner carving feel’. Weight is an important consideration in electric performance cars and while 3D-printed parts are likely to help shave it off, a set of four-piston monoblock brake calipers and 400mm brake discs should help keep it under control.
The N Sound+ feature on the concept might also make its way to the Ioniq 5 N, it pumps artificial noise into the cabin in a similar way to the e-ASD tech introduced in the new Ioniq 6. Meanwhile, N e-shift, aims to replicate the vibration and feel of a ‘real’ gear change.
Hyundai refers to the RN22e as a “glimpse to the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq 5 N” and Thomas Schemera, Hyundai’s Executive Vice President told us that the “RN22e plays a big role in the development of our product line up, especially our electrified high-performance vehicles”.
The Ioniq 5 N is due to go on sale in 2023 so we expect to see the production car in the near future. It will probably arrive as a hatchback but given the current trend for coupe-SUVs, a racier ‘sportback’ version of the Ioniq 5 bodystyle shouldn’t be ruled out.
Yousuf Ashraf