The Hyundai Ioniq 6 has struggled to connect with buyers, but enthusiasts are in for a treat as the company is working on a high-performance N variant. A prototype was recently spied undergoing testing in Europe and there’s a lot to unpack. Starting outside, we can see an all-new front end that will be shared with the facelifted sedan. It’s a radical departure as the droopy headlights will be replaced by split lighting units. Like the Sonata, the car will have a seamless horizon lamp that sits above slender main beams.
Further below, there’s a sporty front
bumper with vertical air curtains as well as a prominent central intake. This
could be unique to the N variant as previous prototypes were more conservative.
The go fast looks continue further back as we can see lightweight wheels that
are backed up by a high-performance braking system with red calipers. They’re
joined by aggressive side skirts and side camera mirrors.
Of course, the real star is the
low-mounted wing. Designers also gave the model a revamped rear end, which
appears to have a taller spoiler. We can also see a new bumper and updated
lighting units. Spy photographers didn’t get a look inside, but it’s possible
the model could follow in the footsteps of the facelifted Ioniq 5. If that’s
the case, the car could be equipped with a new steering wheel, an updated
center console, and added physical switchgear.
The flagship Ioniq 6 is expected to use
the same powertrain as the high-performance Ioniq 5 N. It has an 84 kWh battery
pack, which feeds a dual-motor all-wheel drive system developing 601 hp and 739 Nm of torque. However, an N Grin Boost function
temporarily increases the output to 641 hp and 770
Nm. This enables the hatch to accelerate from 0-96 km/h in 3.25
seconds before hitting an electronically limited top speed of 261
km/h.
