Stunning 577PS Hyundai RN22e will inspire EV N models

Hyundai calls it the RN22e and says as a concept it will inspire the company’s debut high performance electric model, the Ioniq 5 N, which it has confirmed is due in 2023. Now the eagle-eyed will have noticed the RN22e is based on the only recently revealed Ioniq 6 – the big sedan’s streamliner shape is very hard not to notice, after all. The Ioniq 5 is distinctive but much boxier in comparison.

So while the first electric N model will likely inherit design cues and the ethos of the car you see here, it won’t be this car. And Hyundai isn’t saying if a production N version of the far sleeker Ioniq 6 is in the pipeline.

We’re hoping it is, because it comes across as an absolute stonker. The arching body shape looks even better when it’s wider and lower to the ground. The front end acquires a new front air dam but retains its smooth good looks, although the massive diffuser does make the rear end appear a little odd in profile. Overall, there can be no denying the RN22e’s track focus.

One thing the Ioniq 5 and 6 share is the company’s E‑GMP modular electric platform with its 800-volt electric architecture and batteries up to 77kWh. That should mean nothing in the concept car couldn’t in theory make production in the Ioniq 5 N next year.

Under the skin there are two motors, one front and one rear for all-wheel-drive, with torque vectoring to make the most of the power: 577PS (430kW) and torque of 740Nm (546kW). Hyundai says it is working on a system of vectoring that allows the driver to vary torque distribution between front and back axles.  

Any electric N model is sure to be the heaviest yet to carry the badge, so some work has gone into the braking system and brake cooling to make sure they’re up to the task. At the front, the RN22e features four-piston monobloc calipers and a 400-mm hybrid disc. With extra cooling (note the vents aft of the front wheels), the emphasis is on ensuring sustainable track performance, says the company.

“N is moving forward to set new standards in sustainable high performance,” N boss Till Wartenberg tells us. A lot to anticipate from Hyundai then – just don’t expect the first electric N model to look anything like the car you see here.