Photo: CarPix
While the testing season approaches an end in Germany, our spy photographers are busy snapping the late prototypes on the Nürburgring. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N made a surprise appearance in an unusual grey color with black cladding, hiding a pre-production body underneath.
There’s no bigger humiliation for Volkswagen than seeing the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N testing around Germany’s most iconic racetrack. Although the Germans promised sportier versions of their ID.3 and ID.4 long ago, the MEB-based electric cars are too lame to deserve an “R” badge. The Volkswagen R division’s boss Reinhold Ivenz let that slip out of his mouth while talking to Auto Express last month, revealing that the battery could not sustain a 500+ horsepower drivetrain with the current 400-volt architecture.
Hyundai is having a field day, as you’d imagine, even though they use pretty much the same batteries for their Ioniq 5 EVs. The main difference: the 800-volt architecture allows double the power from the same batteries without putting more strain on them. That’s why the future electric racer Ioniq 5 N affords not 500 horsepower but possibly more than 600 horsepower, as Albert Biermann, the brand’s current technical advisor, told Australia’s Drive during a press conference two months ago.
We’ve seen Ioniq 5 N prototypes doing their fair share of laps on the Nürburgring before, but our photographers surprised us this time with a different breed. Painted grey instead of the usual Performance Blue of N-badged models, it was covered in black attire as if it had a lot more to hide than it should. The front and rear are completely hidden, although we don’t expect major changes here compared to the non-N versions of the Ioniq 5.
The Ioniq 5 N will have a more aggressive front spoiler but not the large air inlets that the black camo suggests. The headlights are production-ready, and the hood should be similar to the regular Ioniq 5s. At the back, the large roof spoiler and what appears to be a covered rear diffuser round up the most important changes. Interestingly, the plastic fender flares sport a simple design on this prototype, with no swirl effect around the wheels.
More important than the body modifications are what Hyundai would improve under the skin to make the Ioniq 5 N a true sportscar. Taken from its cousin Kia EV6 GT, we expect a re-tuned suspension, upgraded cooling, and a new steering system featuring a variable gear ratio. The EV6 GT also has an electronic limited-slip differential and an active suspension with high-performance dampers. We’ll find out more in the coming months as Hyundai readies the Ioniq 5 N for the limelight. We expect the electric racer to launch early next year, so stay tuned for more info.
Hyundai is having a field day, as you’d imagine, even though they use pretty much the same batteries for their Ioniq 5 EVs. The main difference: the 800-volt architecture allows double the power from the same batteries without putting more strain on them. That’s why the future electric racer Ioniq 5 N affords not 500 horsepower but possibly more than 600 horsepower, as Albert Biermann, the brand’s current technical advisor, told Australia’s Drive during a press conference two months ago.
We’ve seen Ioniq 5 N prototypes doing their fair share of laps on the Nürburgring before, but our photographers surprised us this time with a different breed. Painted grey instead of the usual Performance Blue of N-badged models, it was covered in black attire as if it had a lot more to hide than it should. The front and rear are completely hidden, although we don’t expect major changes here compared to the non-N versions of the Ioniq 5.
The Ioniq 5 N will have a more aggressive front spoiler but not the large air inlets that the black camo suggests. The headlights are production-ready, and the hood should be similar to the regular Ioniq 5s. At the back, the large roof spoiler and what appears to be a covered rear diffuser round up the most important changes. Interestingly, the plastic fender flares sport a simple design on this prototype, with no swirl effect around the wheels.
More important than the body modifications are what Hyundai would improve under the skin to make the Ioniq 5 N a true sportscar. Taken from its cousin Kia EV6 GT, we expect a re-tuned suspension, upgraded cooling, and a new steering system featuring a variable gear ratio. The EV6 GT also has an electronic limited-slip differential and an active suspension with high-performance dampers. We’ll find out more in the coming months as Hyundai readies the Ioniq 5 N for the limelight. We expect the electric racer to launch early next year, so stay tuned for more info.
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