New Hyundai Ioniq 5 N to be revealed on 15 July

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 won our Car of the Year award in 2021 and soon it’ll be able to add blistering performance to its repertoire with a hot N variant. 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. 

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 577bhp 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, Auto Express 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 Auto Express 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. 

Auto Express has known of the Hyundai N division’s plans to develop a high performance electric car based on a model from the new Ioniq sub-brand for a while. We broke the news based on quotes from the Korean manufacturer’s head of technical development and Hyundai management’s suggestion that N’s focus will shift towards more sustainable, environmentally friendly models.

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.”

Click here to read our in-depth review of the all-electric Ioniq 5…