In case you missed the memo, Hyundai is putting the finishing touches on its first all-electric N model. Winner from Motor1.com Editors’ Choice Awards 2022 will get the high-performance treatment in 2023, likely in line with the mechanically related Kia EV6 GT. Since fans aren’t ready to give up on the thrills that gas-powered sports cars bring, the South Korean brand has been working on artificial voices to emulate the ICE.
In an interview with an Australian publication CarExpert, Hyundai Executive Technical Advisor Albert Biermann said the idea behind the add-on was to deliver “the same jolt and downshift vibrations you experience in our ICE N cars.” He continued to mention “the idea was to approach the feel and sound of the DCT in the hatch i30 N.”
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To that end, the Ioniq 5 N will have something called Virtual Grin Shift (VGN), which is activated by pressing a button on the steering wheel. The driver must then pull on both paddles to engage “virtual shift mode” to change gears artificially. VGN is equipped with N Sound Plus, which contains the full range of sounds you’d expect from a gas-fired N car. A future over-the-air update will bring additional voices, and owners will be able to add their own fake voices.
Hyundai is currently working on refining these fake sounds, including one that will mimic the sound made by a petrol car when you bounce off the rev limiter. Another trick up its sleeve is a special drift mode thanks to the rear bias setting by pressing the built-in button. Stronger friction brakes for the regenerative braking system are also planned.
As for the all-important technical specifications, expect dual-motor setup Albert Biermann has revealed the Ioniq 5 N will have around 600 horsepower. No word on torque, but we’ll remind you that the EV6 GT clocks in at 564 pound-feet (740 Newton meters). Kia’s fast electric crossover goes from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in three and a half seconds on the way to 162 mph (260 km/h), but don’t be too surprised if a Hyundai EV will surpass that mark.
The Ioniq 5 N has been teased several times, so look forward to its official debut in the first half of next year.
