Confirmed: New Hyundai Ioniq 6 N high-performance EV set for Goodwood reveal

It’s official: the long-awaited Hyundai Ioniq 6 N – Korea’s answer to the Tesla Model 3 Performance and the iconic BMW M3 – will finally be revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed next month.

This makes perfect sense because, as well as being one of the most highly anticipated events on every petrolheads’ calendar, the Goodwood FoS was where the sensational Hyundai Ioniq 5 N was unveiled back in 2023. 

This summer will also mark three years since Hyundai revealed the RN22e concept, which previewed the incoming performance saloon and served as a rolling laboratory for the N division boffins to work on some of the technology that would go on to feature in its high-performance EVs.

Hyundai promises the Ioniq 6 N will embody the three pillars of the N division – ‘Corner Rascal’, ‘Racetrack Capability’ and ‘Everyday Sports Car’ – while some of the changes over the regular, recently facelifted Ioniq 6 include flared wheelarches, a wider stance and lightweight wheels. 

The brand has also released some more teaser images of the car – they still don’t give much away, but we can see a massive rear wing that sits just in front of a ducktail spoiler. There’s also the new rear end that has a completely black panel with laser-etched openings for the LED lighting.

Hyundai’s head of design, Simon Loasby, also revealed to 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 that the N is capable of, 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.”

Hyundai Ioniq 6 N power, performance and virtual trickery

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 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. 

Order books for the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N should open a couple of months after the car’s debut in July, and the first cars could even reach customers before the end of 2025.

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