Corner Rascal! 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N electric sports car set to land sideways in Australia with drifting legend Keiichi Tsuchiya at the wheel

Hyundai is keen to make sure customers know its electric sports car, the Ioniq 5 N, is track-ready and designed for fun, so much so that it’s organised for the model to debut at World Time Attack Challenge 2023 (WTAC).

Further to that, behind the wheel will be none other than ‘Drift King’ Keiichi Tsuchiya, whose career of sending cars sideways around corners is nothing short of legendary.

While best known for piloting his Toyota AE86 and arguably being the main reason drifting took off globally the way it did, Keiichi Tsuchiya will trade old Japanese sports cars for new Korean electric power when WTAC rolls around on September 1.

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Of course, the Ioniq 5 is rather wicked itself, boasting 448kW and 740Nm outputs under normal driving conditions, with an ‘N Grin Boost’ mode that ups power and torque to 478kW and 770Nm.

That allows it to hit 100km/h in 3.4 seconds, Hyundai says, making it 0.1 seconds faster than the Kia EV6 GT.

Helpfully, though Keiichi Tsuchiya may not need it on the track at Sydney Motorsport Park, the Ioniq 5 N comes with an N Drift Optimiser’ feature, which “helps maintain drift angle”.

WTAC CEO Ian Baker said the Ioniq 5 N’s debut should prove an impressive spectacle.

“We’re thrilled Hyundai has decided to team up with World Time Attack Challenge for the Australian debut of Ioniq 5 N,” said Baker.

“With a 478kW output and the legendary Keiichi Tsuchiya at the wheel, the fans are in for a great demonstration.” 

Keiichi Tsuchiya will perform four demonstrations with the Ioniq 5 N over the weekend, with a morning and afternoon session of around 10 minutes each day.