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The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is nearly ready to make its debut, and a video showing the EV drifting across a frozen part of Sweden gives us a better idea of what it can do. Hyundai hints that the lessons it learned from rallying permeated its N division’s first series-produced EV.
Pay no attention to the exhaust note that’s audible throughout the video: it comes from the i20 that the South Korean company campaigns in World Rally Championship (WRC) events around the world. The Ioniq 5 N is entirely electric, so it drifts silently alongside its competition-bred sibling. It’s covered in camouflage but we can tell that it stands out from the regular model with a sportier-looking body kit that includes a deeper front bumper, side skirts, and a roof-mounted spoiler. Bigger, model-specific wheels are part of the package as well.
Hyundai hasn’t released technical specifications, but it confirmed that the N-branded hatchback will feature all-wheel-drive. While this is pure speculation, we’re guessing that power will come from an evolution of the dual-motor system fitted to the Kia EV6 GT, where it makes 577 horsepower and 546 pound-feet of torque. Both cars are built on the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) architecture so it stands to reason that what fits in the Kia also fits in the Hyundai. Hyundai could also add a limited-slip rear differential, and range remains to be seen.
Interior changes should round out the N treatment. We haven’t seen the cabin yet, but sport seats for the front passengers, a model-specific display for the instrument cluster, and sportier-looking trim should further set the Ioniq 5 N apart from the tamer variant already in production.
Hyundai will release more details about the Ioniq 5 N in the coming weeks, and the hatchback will make its debut by the end of 2023.
Looking ahead, the company announced that the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine fitted to many of its N-developed cars will retire due to looming emissions regulations; it will be replaced by an electric drivetrain capable of delivering a comparable power output. Hyundai is also experimenting with a hydrogen-electric drivetrain tuned with a focus on performance, though there’s no word on if (let alone when) we’ll see it in showrooms. It displayed this technology in July 2022 by putting it in a retro-flavored concept called N Vision 74.
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