The automaker from Korea will be serving an extra helping of kimchi on the Ioniq 6 when the N variant debuts later this year.
Set to build on the psychotic but tremendous Ioniq 5 N, this swoopy sedan is likely to give a drubbing to other hot EV sedans such as the Tesla Model 3 Performance. While specific power numbers have yet to surface, its hatchback/crossover brother is capable of belting out a maximum of 641 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque when the so-called N Grin Boost function is engaged. Thumbing that button allows for a sub-four second 0 – 60 mph acceleration time.
Where the Hyundai is likely to have a massive advantage over something like the M3P is in terms of driver engagement. Assuming the engineering team ports Hyundai’s excellent N e-Shift and N Active Sound+ technologies o the Ioniq 6 N, and there’s no reason to imagine it will not, this four-door will rip and snort and fart like a tuned performance car powered by gasoline. The shift program permits the car to emulate a dual-clutch gearbox, allowing aural cues on the track and even introducing noise/vibration/harshness into the equation.
Is that the fastest way around a circuit? Probably not. But there’s more to life than retina detaching acceleration in a straight line, a trait common enough to just about every powerful EV, even ones not focused on performance. With those tangible sensations baked into the car, it feels much less like a video game than one might imagine (and initially dismiss as a gimmick).
Styling will get a tweak on the Ioniq 6 when it earns the N badge, with Hyundai promising “advanced aerodynamics” and a wide stance. These teaser photos, which have been aggressively brightened for your viewing pleasure (and because your author is blind as a bat these days), reveal no shortage of aero addenda including a big rear wing in addition to what’s already on the car.
Look for an official debut of the Hyundai ioniq 6 N at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, a veddy British soirée for gearheads scheduled to take place mid-July.
[Images: Hyundai]
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