Ahead of its world premiere at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, Hyundai Motor is teasing the public with one last video of its upcoming performance-focused IONIQ 5 N EV. The racetrack capable model recently entered its final phase of capability testing at the renowned Nürburgring motorsports complex in Germany.
Hyundai’s N and N Line performance variants are sub-brands of the Korean automaker, launched in 2017, but as Hyundai Motor Group continues to transition into an entirely electric automaker, its performance units have begun to follow suit.
During the global premiere of the IONIQ 6 last summer, we learned that an N brand IONIQ EVs are indeed coming. The end of the video showed Hyundai’s first three E-GMP models cruising the track, suddenly joined by two additional EVs we later learned t be called “rolling lab” N models.
At the same time, Hyundai confirmed the IONIQ 5 EV would be the first production model to don the performance “N” badge. Still, we’d have to wait until March to get our first glimpse of the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N in action, tearing through snow up near the Arctic Circle.
Since then, the team at Hyundai N has continued to tease fans with video updates every couple months leading up to a summer debut that has been promised for some time now. Today, Hyundai released its final teaser episode before the IONIQ 5 N is publicly debuted in the UK during the N Brand’s first-ever visit to the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Is that a fighter jet? Check out Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 N video
Per Hyundai, the video below showcases the N performance team challenging the Nürburgring Nordschleife (North Loop) track in order to validate the IONIQ 5 N and extract maximum performance – ensuring the EV meets the three pillars the sub-brand demands from every vehicle in order to earn the “N” badge. Those pillars are “corner rascal, racetrack capability, and everyday sportscar.”
Hyundai N believes it has achieved this with the IONIQ 5 thanks to its full-time presence at Nürburgring – an extension of Hyundai Motor’s R&D center about an hour and a half away in Rüsselsheim, Germany. Vice president and head of Hyundai Motor’s N brand & motorsport Till Wartenberg elaborated on the EV’s progress:
The Nürburgring is where every N model is honed to the Nth degree, so our first high-performance, all-electric N model must also prove itself here. IONIQ 5 N just completed its 10,000 km durability test on the Nordschleife, which is an important milestone that proves the vehicle’s high endurance and racetrack capability. And yet, we just began our second 10,000 km test to push IONIQ 5 N’s limits.
Top comment by LorenD
Why stop with just the fake sounds of outdated ICE propulsion?
Let's have fake steam train sounds! Or a paddlewheel steamboat - they used to race those on the Mississippi back in the 1800's!
How about playing the clip clop of horse hooves - there might be people still alive who miss the sound of a nice horse drawn carriage. For the sporty horse-propulsion aficionado, it could be followed by the sounds of galloping and a cavalry bugle sounding charge as the car accelerates! You could add some whinnies, neighs, and the sound of road apples hitting the pavement when the car comes to a stop.
The above makes just about as much sense as fake combustion noises. I was embarrassed for Hyundai as I watched their teaser video.
Just plain stupid.
The team shared it has introduced a motorsport-derived approach to its first ever N EV, including a two-mode battery preconditioning system, and “N Race” which gives the driver direct control of the IONIQ 5’s energy usage, prioritizes by maximum range (endurance) or full power (sprint). You’ll see this feature in the video below.
Another somewhat confusing thing you might notice in the teaser is the sounds the IONIQ 5 N is making. We assure you it’s all electric, but the N engineers have developed and implemented “N Active Sound +” and “N e-Shift.” The former consists of a ten speaker system (two external) that simulates different vehicle sounds through three distinct themes:
- Ignition: Simulates the 2.0 turbo engine of N brand ICE cars with pops and bangs
- Evolution: A signature electric sound inspired bt the N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo Concept and RN22e
- Supersonic: Simulates a fighter jet. Enough said.
Lastly, the N e-Shift correlated with the Active Sound + system to simulate an eight-speed dual clutch transmission. The features simulates a traditional gearshift by controlling the torque of the motors – delivering a jolt feeling many track drivers are still used to.
The Hyundai IONIQ 5 N is set to make its world premiere at the Hyundai N stand at Goodwood on July 13. In the meantime, here’s that teaser video, complete with simulated gear shift noises. What a time to be alive.
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