- Hyundai shares a video featuring the electronic sound of its upcoming Ioniq 5 N.
- The performance version of the Ioniq 5 will be unveiled at the Goodwood Festival in mid-July.
- This is the first all-electric model to come from the company's performance division.
The quickening shift to electric powertrains represents a double-edged sword to fans of performance cars. On the one hand the models offered on the market will offer more power; on the other, there will be something missing from these models: the sound of a combustion engine's exhaust system.
Manufacturers know this element is still very important to some consumers and are working to develop electronic sounds for their performance-oriented electric models.
We've heard a number of different solutions so far and frankly, very few are convincing. The best one yet? In our humble opinion, the 2.0 version of what Dodge is preparing for the EV it plans to offer next year.
Hyundai, meanwhile, is designing a sporty variant of the Ioniq 5. The N division is doing some testing as we speak and one of the elements being developed is a sound for the model.
To give an idea of the work done so far, the company has shared a video that lets us hear and see the model at work on the streets of Seoul, as well as at the company's research and development centre, located south of the city.
The sounds we can hear are part of the N Sound Plus technology that tries to mimic the typical exhaust of a sports car. It's not the most convincing, but it's less unpleasant than some of the electronic solutions others have come up with to date. What's special here is that the function also simulates slamming and “exhaust feedback”, like you might hear on downshifts with a combustion engine.
Albert Biermann, the technical advisor behind the development, has already indicated that the idea is to imitate the sound you get with an i30 N that has a dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The effect is quite successful in this case.
Further down the road, Hyundai mentions that future updates to the system will allow owners to upload their own tones.
Sound or no sound, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N promises to appeal to many because of its performance chops. And based on what N-Division has offered so far, ride and handling should be impressive as well. This is an EV that will offer around 600 hp and all-wheel drive.
To find out more about the Ioniq 5 N, you'll have to wait until the Goodwood Festival in mid-July (England), because that's where the company will present the EV officially. We can expect it to arrive on the market before the end of 2023 or early 2024.
