► Ioniq 5 to the power of N
► Hyundai execs say they're working on it
► It'll be the brand's first e-hot hatch
The Ioniq 5 is a great starting point for a hot EV to excite the masses, and executives within Hyundai have confirmed they're working on a hot version of it's brilliant new electric car. Now we've got pictures of the futuristic hothatch testing at the Nurburgring.
The car pictured appears to be more of a powertrain mule than anything else, but there are some changes on the chassis side: a lower ride height than the standard car and wider low profile tyres both point two a car designed to put more power on the road. The body of the current test car seems releatively unchanged, but it appears as though the wheelarches have a slightly flare – at least at the rear.
Expect it to arrive from 2022 onwards.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N: specs and performance
'If you look at our strategy to offer more eco-friendly vehicles and moving ahead with BEV concepts, it seems realistic,' HMG's chief marketing officer, Thomas Schemera told us just a few months ago.
'Could you imagine we weren't working on one already?' added a proud Biermann.
Hyundai Motor Group's 800-volt e-GMP platform is built for ultimate flexibility, with rear- and all-wheel-drive variants and even the opportunity to power external devices.
Executives have already been stress-testing the e-GMP platform during its development process, reaching eye-popping power outputs. Albert Biermann, chassis wizard and head of R&D for Hyundai Motor Group, told CAR in 2020 that the platform 'will go almost up to 600 horsepower in certain models.'
Read our review on the new Hyundai Ioniq 5
Hyundai's been experimenting with high-performance electric cars for years, the most recent iteration being the RM20e. It's not a racing car, but a rolling test bed for new technologies destined to end up in future production cars. Some elements within N division regard the 'racing midship' demo car as the catalyst for a super-powerful halo car for the performance brand in the years to come.
It also makes sense that the new Ioniq 5 N will have around 570bhp. Why? Because Kia has already beaten Hyundai to the punch; the new EV6 electric crossover debuted not long after the 5 with a GT model. The EV6 GT comes out all guns blazing with 577bhp, all-wheel drive and supercar-baiting performance figures.
Hyundai executives on the new Ioniq 5 N
Read our Hyundai reviews here