2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N: What we know so far about the electric performance SUV coming to rival Kia EV6 GT and Tesla Model Y Performance

The recent arrival of the Hyundai i30 Sedan N has completed the brand’s line-up of N Performance models… at least for now.

While the South Korean brand has stopped short of confirming it, there’s little doubt that the next N arrival is due within the next 18 months and will swap turbocharged petrol power for electric motors.

The car is, of course, the Ioniq 5 N, the company’s worst-kept secret that promises to be unlike anything to ever wear a Hyundai badge before it.

Electric performance

Hyundai has invested millions into its all-new ‘e-GMP’ electric vehicle architecture, creating a flexible platform for a wide variety of vehicles - including the Ioniq 5. And that will include high-performance cars, which will be able to take advantage of the immense power and torque offered up by electric motors.

Albert Biermann, the head of R&D for the Hyundai-Kia Group, has overseen the development of the e-GMP and made it clear that it’s not just designed for maximum efficiency.

“I think with e-GMP we have a very substantial platform to bring sustainable driving fun to our enthusiasts on the road and on the track,” Mr Beirmann said earlier in 2021.

“I think after some N-specific treatments, it would be tonnes of fun to drive around the Nordschleife with an N vehicle based on e-GMP. I can see many, many corners where our combustion cars might have some trouble to follow our e-GMP car.”

Nurburgring-tuned

Mr Biermann’s comments about the potential of a would-be Ioniq 5 N isn’t theoretical, spy photographers have caught several examples of the car testing at the famous 20km German circuit.

These cars have featured lowered ride heights and new alloy wheels with low-profile tyres. Given the levels of dynamic engineering in the rest of the N range, the Ioniq 5 N would likely get the same treatment. 

That would mean revised suspension hardware and tuning to ensure it was sharp and responsive to drive on the road or track.

Given Hyundai’s new deal with Michelin for the i30 Sedan N, don’t be surprised if this new N model rolls on the French brand’s sticky Pilot Sport 4S tyres.

Most powerful Hyundai yet

One of the biggest changes electrification brings to the car industry is the dissemination of performance. In the past, to achieve supercar levels of power and torque, a company like Hyundai would have needed to invest in a bespoke engine, something that would have been cost prohibitive.

But with electric motors able to be tuned across a broad spread of power, they can be utilised in a variety of models at a much more competitive price.

Which is why the Ioniq 5 N is destined to become Hyundai’s most powerful model yet and will even boast supercar-like performance.

Hyundai hasn’t said anything, but with Kia EV6 GT making 430kW of power and 740Nm of torque, it’s a safe bet the Ioniq 5 N will either match or better those numbers.

Australian arrival

The question of Ioniq 5 N arriving in Australia is definitely a matter of ‘when, not if’, even if it doesn’t officially exist yet.

The most likely scenario is an international reveal sometime in 2022 before it arrives on Australian shores by 2023. That allows for Hyundai to introduce the new Ioniq 6 model in ‘22, along with Kia introducing the EV6 locally.

The i30 N has helped attract a new following of performance enthusiasts for the brand, which the i20 N, Kona N and i30 Sedan N will help foster. The Ioniq 5 was a smash hit, too, with the first batch of 240 examples selling out in just over two hours.

So, the combination of the two would be an obvious win for Hyundai in Australia. 

It won’t come cheap though, with the regular Ioniq 5 costing more than $70,000. So, it’s likely the Ioniq 5 N could be nudging six-figures.

But even that’s unlikely to dull the appeal for a car like the Ioniq 5 N, which promises to be powerful, track ready and zero emissions capable.