Development continues on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N electric hot hatch. In contrast to what we usually see, the development team adds more coverage to this one, rather than taking off the concealment.
Black fabric with blocky panels underneath covers this Ioniq 5 N's body. Only the roof and a portion of the front fenders are exposed. Previous vehicles had a wrap that still hid things but gave us a better look at the general design.
Gallery: Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Spy Photos
This car appears to have production-spec headlights. Don't let the mesh portions of the body covering fool you. Judging from previous spy shots, the Ioniq 5 N doesn't have front-end inlets as large as this fabric suggests.
In profile, this car looks mostly like a standard Ioniq 5. The ride height appears lower. At the back of the roof, you can discern the larger rear spoiler. The wheels have a black finish and a design with five pairs of spokes. The front brake calipers are silver, and the ones in the back are red.
Hyundai's engineers cover most of the tail. The taillights look the same as the ones on a standard Ioniq 5.
Hyundai executive technical advisor Albert Biermann recently offered some hints about what to expect from the Ioniq 5 N. He said the company hasn't finalized the powertrain output, but the figure was between 580 horsepower and 620 hp (427 kilowatts and 456 kW). The battery reportedly has a 77.4-kilowatt-hour capacity.
Biermann says the Ioniq 5 N has a Drift Mode that prioritizes routing power to the rear so that drivers can slide the electric performance car. Like the standard model, the N has regenerative braking but also gains "strong friction brakes."
The Ioniq 5 N will premiere in 2023. The exact timing of the debut is still a mystery, though. The model could be on the market in time for the 2024 model year.
Through October 2022, Hyundai has delivered 20,071 units of the Ioniq 5 in the United States. It wasn't available at this point in 2021, so we can't compare the numbers year-over-year.
