The Hyundai IONIQ 5 N will make an explosive local debut in Australia at the World Time Attack Challenge (WTAC) at Sydney Motorsport Park next month.
Showcasing the capabilities of the 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 5 N will be none-other-than the ‘Drift King’ himself, Keiichi Tsuchiya. This is a man whose drifting talents are credited with the the popularity of the sport spreading outside of Japan from the late 1980s.
This is a very important model for the brand, fresh from its outing at the United Kingdom’s premier sporting event in July, the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It will be the first all electric model from Hyundai’s N performance division, which cut its teeth on Nurburgring-honed, turbo-petrol cars such as the i30 N and Kona N.
To that end, it produces up to 478kW in N Grin Boost mode, and comes with N e-shift and N Active Sound and 275/35R21 Pirelli P-Zeros wrapped around 21-inch forged aluminium wheels. Other highlights include 400mm front brake discs clasped by four-piston monobloc calipers, as well as a fast steering ratio so your steering synapses can match the acceleration.
The Drift King will no doubt be making use of the electronic rear limited-slip differential (e-LSD), the N Pedal and Torque Kick Drift function.
Visually, the ‘Lumious Orange’ highlights along the diffuser and air dam, wings and N-branded interior elements differentiate this beast from its more humble sibling, the regular IONIQ 5.
Expect the IONIQ 5 N to go on sale in Australia early in 2024, but you will probably get the best showcase of its abilities in the hands of Drift King at WTAC, which runs from September 1-2.