It's rare to see a concept car receive as much attention and near-universal praise as Hyundai's new N Vision 74 EV. The Ioniq 6-based RN22e is also enjoying considerable praise, giving the South Korean automaker a double win. The only negativity we've seen in the social world is skepticism that these cars exist in real life. They do, and the above video from Hyundai's N team should erase all doubt.
Posted to YouTube shortly after the official debut of both concepts on July 14, the short driving clip is the stuff enthusiasts crave. There's no narration, no backstory, and just minimal music to accompany the action. The result is nearly four minutes of the RN22e and N Vision 74 simply having fun on a racetrack. Hyundai actually calls these cars rolling labs, and each has a specific mission to explore high-performance applications for future N-branded electric vehicles.
Gallery: Hyundai N Vision 74
Admittedly, the official photos from Hyundai look a bit too good in some respects. That likely led some people to question whether the images were merely renderings of planned concepts still in development. For that matter, the video looks quite polished in some areas as well. But there are also plenty of moments where both concepts are clearly alive and well, and packing some serious power.
The N Vision 74 is the more powerful of the two. Technically a hybrid EV, it combines a hydrogen fuel cell with a battery to power a pair of electric motors, one at each rear wheel. The result is a combined output of 671 horsepower (500 kilowatts), but with individual motors at the back, Hyundai will explore various aspects of torque vectoring in an electric, RWD application. Hyundai also says the combination of a hydrogen fuel cell with a battery allows for cooler temperatures.
Gallery: Hyundai RN22e
As for the RN22e, it may or may not preview an Ioniq 6 N model. It's Hyundai's first dedicated performance vehicle utilizing the E-GMP platform, featuring the same 577-hp (430-kW) AWD powertrain used on the Kia EV6 GT. From there, the RM22e's mission is to explore aerodynamic configurations as well as torque vectoring for high-performance AWD EVs.
An Ioniq 6 N is all but guaranteed at this point, though it may not look exactly like the RN22e. Sadly, Hyundai has made no indication that the N Vision 74 will reach production. However, based on the considerable praise this concept is generating, who's to say what the future might hold. Speak loud enough, and just maybe, Hyundai might listen.
Digging the N Vision 74's retro styling? Check out the latest Rambling About Cars podcast that focuses on the Radwood scene with cars of the '80s and '90s.
