Recalls aside, Hyundai made a massive deal out of their new “N Day”. A day, July 15th to be exact, where the Korean auto manufacturer would reveal what their engineers have been working on in the backrooms. Teased with a cryptic picture of what looked like a Ferrari F40 earlier in the month, the photo had us all baffled. Is Hyundai teaming up with the Italian bespoke automaker? Is Hyundai going to infringe on copyright laws in order to make their own F40? Is Hyundai going to unveil an electric vehicle or maintain their line of high-performance internal combustion N car lineup?
With questions swirling around this ominous day like a tornado, Hyundai finally unmasked what their skunkworks in Seoul has been tinkering away at. Revealed are two electrifying new concepts. The RN22e and a figment of Hyundai’s imagination— the N Vision 74.
Starting out with the RN22e it’s clearly based on the newly publicized Ioniq 6 which will serve as Hyundai’s flagship electric sedan. After the launch of the hatchback Ioniq 5, the Ioniq 6 will represent the growth of Hyundai’s electric lineup and now will receive the N treatment. Known for turning daily commuter cars into full-blown race cars Hyundai has a track record of pumping out hits. Vehicles in the N portoflio include transformations of the Veloster, Kona, and the Elantra— all mundane traffic pre-makeover.
In order to make the RN22e “racetrack ready” like Hyundai says, the N crew focused on heating and cooling. The logistics of making an EV faster is vastly different from one that uses traditional pump fuel. In the case of the RN22e engineers gave the car four-piston calipers, maintained Hyundai’s normal electric powerplant, and improved upon the Ioniq 6’s design. Modifications include a lower front bumper, a massive rear wing, and the addition of side skirts plus a rear diffuser.
The RN22e will also showcase the first installment of Hyundai’s artificial sound enhancement within the car called N Sound+ which generates noise from both the interior and the exterior in order to create a more immersive driving feel. We’re not fans of unnatural sound in any car, but it’ll be interesting to see if Hyundai can make it any more distinctive or unique from other EV notes.
The sound may be a turnoff, but the numbers we really want to know blow this car out of the water. The RN22e will be able to produce 430 kW of power or 577 hp in layman’s terms from a dual motor setup. With it being an EV, you’ll also be able to access 545 lb-ft of torque instantly when you smash the accelerator. No times have been confirmed as the car is still a rolling lab, but we can only imagine how it would perform on a racetrack.
This one is a little bit more interesting. Steampunk lovers rejoice, Hyundai is hooking y’all up. Another retro design from Hyundai emulates the design pattern of the popular Hyundai Ioniq 5 hatchback which released earlier this year. The N Vision 74 pays homage to the Hyundai Pony Coupe Concept engineered in 1974. What’s interesting here is that the N Vision 74 will be a hydrogen fuel cell concept instead of the traditional electric motor. Very few cars have pulled off the hydrogen path mainly due to the scarcity of the infrastructure across the globe.
While we see faces of a DeLorean in the N Vision 74, Hyundai is adamant that it’s based off the Pony Coupe Concept. The dual block headlights in the front are distinctively retro as well as the squared off taillights in the rear. A massive spoiler sits on the hindquarters of the car ready to hit Laguna Seca on any given Sunday morning giving the crowd at Cars and Coffee a massive amount of questions.
As the car itself looks like something yanked straight out of Ready Player One, the spec sheet sure backs it up. 670 horsepower and 663 lb-ft of torque would send this thing flying into the stratosphere. This rocket of a vehicle harnesses that power from 2 motors on each axle and having torque vectoring capabilities for all the silent donuts and drifts your heart desires. Even with all this, the N Vision 74 maintains a fuel range of 373 miles in order to make sure that all the fun never ends.
Hyundai’s main purpose to utilize these two is for experimentation and research, thus the “rolling lab” status. While the RN22e does seem like a likely vehicle to come to market, the N Vision 74 will probably continue to be a futuristic concept. Interestingly missing from the N Day press release was information on the Ioniq 5 N, Hyundai’s first electric N vehicle set to come out later this year or early next year. The vehicle was spotted in camouflage, and it’ll be quite peculiar to see if any new information will be released.
