► Production-ready Ioniq 6 N spied
► It’s a go-faster model of EV saloon
► Shades of RN22E concept car for real
These are the best spyshots yet of the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq 6 N hotshot saloon, caught testing on the roads around a European test track ahead of launch expected in 2025.
The swooping ‘streamliner’ design is bolstered by various aerodynamic addenda, most visibly the huge rear wing designed to create downforce and squash the sports saloon into the tarmac for better grip in corners.
Note also the more pronounced front air dam and side sills, clearly visible through the monochrome camouflage in an attempt to put prying eyes off the scent.
The imminent arrival of the Ioniq 6 N is hardly a surprise: even at the base saloon’s debut in London, design chief Sangyup Lee talked quite openly to CAR magazine about how a more sporting version had already been envisaged by his team.
Why is Hyundai rolling out high-performance N versions of its electric cars?
Modern Hyundai is an ambitious enterprise. It understands that it can win customers over through a combination of audacious design, especially with its avantgarde Ioniq models whose daring style represents a genuine leapfrog moment in the car industry, and technical innovation aplenty.
The Ioniq 5 came first, with its 1980s-inspired pixel design turning plenty of heads, but it was matched by clever battery technology which offered rapid charging, reliably long range and niceties such as two-way powerflow, so that users can charge up other items from their car.
It’s built upon this successful foundation with all-electric N performance models, seen first in the acclaimed Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. It’s the best EV hot hatch on the market, with some delightful surprises such as the simulated gearchanges and genuinely exciting sound generator.
The RN22E concept: pointing to a rapid Ioniq 6
Back in 2022 the company showed the Hyundai RN22E concept car (below), an Ioniq 6 on steroids designed to preview the company’s planned eTCR electric touring car racer. However, that series was canned in 2023, meaning that the RN22e’s biggest influence could be the Ioniq 6 N road car revealed in our latest spy photos.
Built on Hyundai’s Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), which it shares with the Ioniq 5 N, the RN22e showcased dual electric motors providing all-wheel drive with a powerful 577bhp and 538lb ft of torque. It also included advanced torque vectoring, large 400mm disc brakes, and performance features like N Sound+ and N e-Shift for a more engaging drive.
What else can we expect on the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 N?
Tech specs remain a closely guarded secret, but our man with the long lens reports this prototype sported 20-inch alloy wheels housing bigger, N-branded brake discs and callipers, and he maintains the prototype looked like it had a wider track, for a more purposeful stance.
Expect a similar tech stack to the Ioniq 5 N hot hatch, although insiders predict that the sports saloon could have even wilder power outputs, bearing in mind the price positioning of the two models.
Hyundai tends to release product enhancements every two years on its models, over a six-year lifecycle. This points to the Ioniq 6 being due a revision in 2025 – a neat point at which to introduce the go-faster N model to pep up sales.
Watch this space: we’ll reveal more about the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq 6 N as we hear more news.