2026 Hyundai Ioniq 6 N will be the company’s first ‘virtual sports car’

Hyundai has just teased its long-awaited Ioniq 6 N at the Seoul Mobility Show, with new details coming to light about the high-performance EV that has cars like the Tesla Model 3 Performance in its sights. 

Hyundai’s head of design Simon Loasby told Auto Express: “With the Ioniq 6 N we had the chance to widen the fenders front and rear, which we couldn’t do on the 5 N, and who doesn’t like a wide body?”

However, he continued, the job wasn’t quite so simple, because to ensure that the Ioniq 6’s streamlined body will cope with the much higher speeds and stronger performance on the N, more changes were required. “On the Ioniq 6, with all those curves over the top,” he said, “we’re pulling the air down, which means we’re lifting the car up. When you’re counteracting lift, when we’ve got 600bhp plus, you need a spoiler.” 

In addition to this feature on the new Ioniq 6 N, you can expect big 21-inch alloy wheels and aggressive bodywork with red pinstripes, plus a new rear end that has a completely black panel with laser-etched openings for the LED lighting.

But Hyundai will go further to contrast its new saloon with the Ioniq 5 N, adjusting its powertrain software to give the car a distinct personality. “The opportunity this software gives us is the ability to change into different outfits,” Loasby told us. “It’s just software to create different feelings. 

“Our engineers have done such a good job at looking at what is electronic – the steering, damping, throttle, regenerative braking – and creating algorithms to connect that. There’s lots more we can play with.” 

Through this system, Hyundai will be able not just to mimic a different form of petrol engine through the speakers and paddle shifters, but also to map the throttle to feel different as you accelerate. It means there’s no need to develop a brand-new powertrain, as you would in a traditional high-performance ICE model. 

So while the 6 N will have a different personality, we expect that it’ll use the same fundamental powertrain as the 5 N, a dual-motor set-up with 641bhp. The battery pack will also probably be the same as the 5 N’s 84kWh unit, and the car will be able to sprint to 62mph in around 3.4 seconds. 

In terms of chassis hardware, the 6 N will still have a coil-spring suspension set-up, but given the saloon’s lower centre of gravity, it could be even more engaging to drive than the more upright 5. 

Inside, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N will probably pick up more sporty design elements, such as the 5 N’s new steering wheel and bucket seats. However, the basic interior architecture won’t change too much, and the standard Ioniq 6 already feels quite cosseting, thanks to its large centre console. 

The new model will be revealed in full this July, with sales kicking off in the third quarter of the year and the first cars reaching customers towards the end of 2025.

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