We’ve been speculating on Hyundai’s plans for giving its IONIQ 5 the N performance treatment for quite some time now, and thankfully, the company has confirmed that there will indeed be an IONIQ 5 N battery-electric performance model released next year.
Unfortunately, though, Hyundai has remained extremely tight-lipped in terms of power outputs, performance hardware and specs for the IONIQ 5 N. Instead, the company is drumming up excitement for two “rolling lab” concepts from its skunkworks. In a statement, Hyundai said:
“As the initial big step, Hyundai Motor’s first electric N, IONIQ 5 N will hit the global market in 2023. More details about the first EV N will be unveiled later.”
Rather than a distraction, news of Hyundai’s concepts is actually a pretty promising sign of some new performance hardware that is likely to trickle down into the IONIQ 5 N and even a potential hydrogen fuel cell hybrid.
The first of the two concepts is the RN22e, which rides on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform with the IONIQ 6’s sleek bodywork which no doubt sets the stage for a future IONIQ 6 N release at some point in the future.
It comes packing an all-wheel drive, dual electric motor setup producing 430kW of power and 740Nm of torque, which not-so-coincidentally is the same output as the Kia EV6 GT, coming to Australia later this year. Power is supplied by a 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery.
Underneath, there’s an electronic limited-slip differential, twin-clutch torque vectoring and a set of 400mm brake discs with four-piston calipers for stopping power, and a heap of 3D-printed parts to help keep the kerb weight down.
On that note, we don’t know exactly how much the RN22e concept weights, but we do know that it measures in at 4915mm long, 2023mm wide, 1479mm tall and has a wheelbase measuring 2950mm.
The top speed is rated at over 250km/h, while Hyundai has not specified a 0-100km/h sprint but we think it would match the claimed 3.5 second time of the Kia EV6 GT, sharing a very similar platform and powertrain.
Then, there’s the retro-futuristic N Vision 74 concept that looks absolutely stunning and a very big departure from what you might have expected from Hyundai. It comes powered by a hydrogen fuel-cell hybrid powertrain.
The stunning concept is powered by a pair of rear-mounted electric motors that produce 500kW of power and 900Nm of torque, with power supplied by that hydrogen fuel-cell creating up to 95kW to charge the 62.4kWh battery pack.
The N Vision 74 sits at 4952mm long, 1995mm wide, 1331mm tall and has a wheelbase spanning 2905mm. It features a 4.2kg hydrogen tank and 800-volt DC fast-charging tech, while the range figure stands north of 600km.
We wish we had more concrete details on the IONIQ 5 N to report on, however, Hyundai seems keen to let us sit and stare at the N Vision 74 concept until it is ready to spill the beans ahead of its official launch in 2023. Australian deliveries are expected in early 2024.
