Jul 13, 2025 hyundai

Hyundai Ioniq 5 N: Cheaper RWD won't happen, but at least they like the idea

"Last year at the N festival, it was very clear the message from our fans was to do so, and that's really good."

Smokin' RWD burnouts from the 5 N? Naaah.

I wrote last week that I really dig the way Hyundai has cleverly boosted its N brand to the front of performance enthusiasts' minds by holding an annual track festival, extending warranty coverage to track work – and, of course, making their cars fun too.

After all, when you've got the deeply experienced Toyota firing up its performance projects again after a fairly long period of dull-as-shit appliances, it's smart to be clever.

Now, a lot of Aussies would like the Ioniq 5 N to not cost over $110K after bills, and quite a few would like a rear-wheel-drive option for skids and burnouts. It does have a rear bias in the way it distributes power as needed, but, well... that ain't the same thing, is it?

So, as much as it's likely we'll never see anything come of it, I like that Manfred Harrer, head of N's 'Performance Development Tech Unit', told Drive: “it was very clear that the message from our (Australian) fans was to do so, and that's a really good. We started it, but with the hope also to reduce the price."

It won't happen, though – at least, not in the Ioniq 5 N, despite Drive's "under consideration" headline.

“It's a niche, a small volume. A lot of changes we have to go through, and so unfortunately (now) we cannot do it”, he said.

As Harrer notes: it's not as simple as just taking the front motor out. On its own, the rear motor only accounts for 282kW (303kW on booooost) of the total 478kW claimed max output – which isn't much in any big-car performance package these days, let alone one that weighs nearly 2300kg in its standard form.

Is there any hope at all?

Maybe in something beyond the 5 N, using an evolution of its 800V platform but with an overall lighter build.

At least, I think that's what Harrer meant here, if it isn't simply a wobbly transcription: “I still have the idea in mind that maybe I really drive on this platform, coming from the 5 N is the best answer I can give.”

A smaller Ioniq 3 N or 4 N is expected (I wrote about it in 2023 for Wheels), so that's probably the most obvious path for Harrer's thinking – although a powerful RWD variant is absolutely no guarantee, and I really wouldn't take that away from his quotes above.

The main issue is that former N boss Albert Biermann had made it clear that all N EVs would need to be on Hyundai's premium 800V electrical architecture, because ultra-efficient energy management and fast recharging is the only way to justify a high-performance EV.

That really means that all Ioniq N EVs will be pretty expensive – and since they'll probably all stick with dual-motor AWD for safety and capability, it's hard to imagine any small-ish Ioniq 3 N costing much less than $80K.

I dunno. We'll see. What do you reckon?

Alright, good talk! xoxo.