South Korea’s Hyundai reveals its battery-powered competitor to Mercedes AMG and BMW M-Series in the USA, which comes with a simulated eight-speed transmission and fake engine noises, is aimed squarely at ICE enthusiasts
Hyundai Motor unveiled its first high-performance electric vehicle(EV), an N sport variant of its IONIQ 5 crossover SUV on Wednesday (November 15) in time for LA Auto Show, which opens on November 15.
The South Korean automaker says that the IONIQ 5 N will be available at its US dealers in March 2024 followed by more electrified N models in the future.
Hyundai includes features for traditional petrol-heads, like the N e-shift, which mimics the feeling of simulating an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission gas car, and the N Active Sound-plus which makes fake engine noises.
The N brand is the company’s high-performance brand, akin to AMG for the Mercedes and the M lineup for the BMW.
The IONIQ’s N variant will be powered by dual motors producing 641 horsepower, nearly double the output of the most powerful variant of the standard outgoing model.
Automakers including Audi, Porsche and Tesla have focussed on vehicles that are about performance not saving energy and fossil fuels woe car enthusiasts from high-performing combustion engine.
Hyundai expects the IONIQ 5 N to touch an electronically limited top speed of 162 mph (260.7 kmph) but did not reveal an estimate on the range offered.
The company, founded in 1967, launched the IONIQ 5 midsize crossover based on its Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) in 2021 to cash in on strong EV demand worldwide.
For the techies among decarbonisation News readers:
The Ioniq 5 N is equipped with a larger 84kWh battery pack (compared to 77.4kWh on the SE, SEL, and Limited models), but Hyundai wouldn’t share the drivable range until closer to launch. The battery can charge from 10 to 80 percent in 18 minutes and has a max charging rate of 238kW.
The vehicle has a two-stage inverter that aids in pushing the dual motors to a maximum 478kW (641 horsepower) output. That max power is achieved on the special “N Grin Boost” mode, which can be activated on the touchscreen or automatically when in launch mode. The N can accelerate from 0–60 mph (0-100kmh) in 3.25 seconds.
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