Hyundai will enter four Ioniq 5 N cars at the 2024 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, two of them being production-spec variants with minimal modifications. The Korean carmaker wants one of them to snatch the electric production SUV/crossover record. Two modified Ioniq 5 N examples will also join the race, pushing the limits of a performance electric vehicle.
After the Kia EV6 GT offered a glimpse at what the Korean carmakers could do in the performance EV segment, Hyundai decided to make a decisive step with the Ioniq 5 N. The sportiest variant of the Hyundai best-selling EV has been optimized for racetrack excellence, being a fierce competitor to the Tesla Model Y Performance. Hyundai's efforts have been rewarded with a 2024 World Performance Car trophy by the World Car Awards.
The first electric car to wear the N badge, the Ioniq 5 N defies the laws of physics, considering that it weighs more than 5,000 pounds (2,270 kg). The 601-horsepower powertrain (641-horsepower with the N Grin Boost mode activated) is powerful enough to propel it from zero to 60 mph (96 kph) in 3.25 seconds. Hyundai claims it can compete in a race with no other performance modifications and wants to prove this during this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) race on June 23.
Hyundai is bringing four Ioniq 5 N cars to the Pikes Peak race and will attempt to set a new electric production SUV/crossover record. Full disclosure: there's no current record for the production electric vehicles at Pikes Peak, so Hyundai is looking to set a benchmarking time rather than break an existing record. To make a mark, two of the four cars Hyundai will race are production-spec EVs with very few modifications.
These are limited to safety-related changes without any impact on the performance. They include installing Recaro Pro Racer SPA Hans driver's seats and Sabelt six-point racing harnesses. The rear seats have been removed to allow the installation of a roll cage and a fire suppression system. Other than that, these cars are identical to the ones delivered to customers. Hyundai claims that the Ioniq 5 N has already been tested and validated on the world's most demanding race tracks, including the Nürburgring Nordschleife, so no modifications are truly needed.
Paul Dallenbach and Ron Zaras will drive the two production-spec Ioniq 5 N EVs. While Dallenbach is an eleven-time PPIHC winner and set an overall record in 1993, Zaras is a PPIHC rookie and the newest team member. Hyundai will also race two modified Ioniq 5 N at Pikes Peak, with drivers Dani Sordo and Robin Shute behind the wheel. Shute is a four-time overall winner and King of the Mountain title holder at Pikes Peak. Sordo is a Spanish World Rally Championship driver for Hyundai Motorsport.
After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions. Full profile
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