The ‘World Car of the Year’ is about to get even tastier - Hyundai has confirmed we’ll soon get a performance ‘N’ version of its celebrated Ioniq 5.
The Ioniq 5 has been dripping in silverware since it was first launched last year.
In April it scooped the coveted ‘World Car of the Year’ gong at the World Car Awards, while it’s also the Auto Express ‘Car of the Year’, too.
It’s also plenty powerful as it is - coming with grunt of 306 PS and a range of up to 315 miles, depending on which model you choose.
But now Hyundai has given the green light to an Ioniq 5 ‘N’, which will launch in 2023. In case you were wondering, the N stands for ‘Namyang’, the name of Hyundai’s research and development centre located in the port city of Hwaseong, South Korea.
While details are scant at present, a Hyundai spokesperson reveals:
“The brand claim is ‘Never just drive’ because getting from A to B should never be boring.”
As part of the Ioniq 5 N announcement, Hyundai has also teased two other electrified models that could be screaming around a racetrack in the coming months and years.
The ‘RN22e’ is an ‘N’ performance variant of the recently-revealed Ioniq 6 saloon.
Meanwhile the proposed ‘N Vision 74’ really is off-the-charts interesting, combining retro 70s looks with a hybrid electric-hydrogen powertrain that develops colossal power of 680 PS.
The manufacturer spokesperson adds:
“RN22e and N Vision 74 are inspirational examples of N’s electrification vision. These two ‘rolling lab’ concepts demonstrate Hyundai Motor’s ambition to become a leader in the zero-emissions future.”
So let’s start with the RN22e.
We’re promised power of 584 PS thanks to a large 77.4 kWh battery, as well as a state-of-the-art braking system with 400mm hybrid discs and an ‘e-LSD’ limited slip differential for optimum traction.
The N Vision 74 prototype is a different beast entirely.
Rather than having a straightforward battery and electric motor, it combines both a hydrogen fuel cell and a battery pack.
How does a hydrogen fuel cell work? Well, it’s clever stuff. It takes the chemical energy from compressed hydrogen gas and turns it into electrical energy, which then powers the vehicle’s electric motors.
You fill up a hydrogen-powered car in a similar way to topping-up a petrol or diesel tank, stopping at a fuel station for gas, inserting a nozzle and waiting just a minute or so to get your fill.
Our Hyundai spokesperson says of the N Vision 74:
“By having fuel cell system and battery-electric powering the N Vision 74 together, the cooling efficiency is improved, while the two different power sources can be used depending on different driving conditions.”
The N Vision 74 is said to have power of 680 PS, torque of 900 Nm and a driving range in excess of 373 miles.
It also looks pretty darned spectacular, based on the Hyundai Pony Coupe concept from 1974, designed by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro, and which - to us, anyway - has a whiff of DeLorean about it!
Of course, the forward-thinking Hyundai Pony Coupe from the Seventies never quite made it to production. Will the N Vision 74 do any better?
Hyundai is confident that it has at least a fighting chance, and talks about the ‘electrification vision turning into reality’. Watch this space.
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