Hyundai will bring its sporty N tuning treatment to its all-electric cars, starting with the Ioniq 5.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 will soon bring a hot new N variant and new teasers of the sporty electric car show a reveal will take place on 15 July – ahead of a launch in 2023.
Hyundai’s N models have quickly built up a solid reputation with enthusiasts thanks to input from renowned engineer Albert Biermann, resulting in the excellent i30 N and i20 N hot hatches and the Kona N SUV. Now the Korean manufacturer will look to extend its sporty division into the all-electric segment, with an Ioniq 5 N.
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The #HyundaiN Day is coming.
Which Hyundai N would you expect to start a new chapter of driving fun?#Hyundai pic.twitter.com/gEyFKwQeM7
— Hyundai Worldwide (@Hyundai_Global) July 5, 2022
In the teaser published by Hyundai on social media, the image shows a blurred car driving down the pit straight of a race track, which we expect to be the upcoming Ioniq 5 N. It should adopt a more aggressive chassis approach and borrow the same dual-motor configuration as Kia’s new EV6 GT, which has 430kW and all-wheel drive.
The reveal date – dubbed ‘N day’ by Hyundai – will also give us our best look yet at the Ioniq 6 N and a new concept car. Given the shared underpinnings of the Ioniq 6 and Ioniq 5, which are both based on Hyundai-Kia’s E-GMP platform, we expect both models to use the same powertrain.
However, Automotive Daily understands that the focus will be more on handling than out-right power for the Ioniq 5 N particularly, so it might not match its the EV6 GT for power.
A senior source close to the project told Automotive Daily that while the two vehicles may well share a powertrain, as well as the E-GMP platform, the aim is for them to be very different in character. “With the N you won’t see maybe so much change on the power side,” our insider said, “but the chassis will be very different. With the Ioniq 5 we’ve been working particularly hard on body control – rebound rates and so forth.” Hyundai’s N engineers are also said to be experimenting with more aggressive settings for the electronic limited-slip differential than those adopted on the Kia.
This appears to suggest that the N division is working to overcome the Ioniq 5’s inherent EV mass and keep it in character with the original N models, the i20 N and i30 N, which have much tighter body control and greater agility than their conventional stablemates.
Hyundai has been spotted testing the new Ioniq 5 on a number of occasions, usually near the Nurburgring in Germany, where the firm has an engineering base. Our spy shots show a mysterious Ioniq 5 prototype with little to separate it from regular versions of the car. The only giveaway is the fitment of lightweight alloy wheels shod with high-performance Pirelli P Zero tyres.
Hyundai’s vice-president for product and strategy, Thomas Schemera, told us early in 2021: “We never stop thinking about expanding our product portfolio. Strategically we are moving full speed ahead with eco-friendly offerings. We have a crystal clear plan. One thing is for sure – eco-friendly vehicles are on our priority list, at the top.”
When asked specifically if N would look to develop cars based on the Ioniq models, which use Hyundai’s e-GMP modular electric platform, Schemera said, “Everybody knows that Hyundai’s electric architecture has a lot of potential and shows a lot of flexibility. So this is an interesting question. I guess if you have a look at our strategy of the future, to offer more eco-friendly vehicles and moving ahead with our battery-electric concept and our fuel cell-electric concept, it seems to be realistic.”
Alastair Crooks