Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Spied Waving Its Own Checkered Flag At The 'Ring

It's been a curious road for the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N thus far, at least from a public perspective. Ordinarily, we see the progression from prototype to production starting with camouflaged test vehicles wearing janky body parts, or weird test equipment. As the debut gets closer, more of the car is revealed until we get full disclosure.

The opposite is happening with Hyundai's hot EV crossover. Our first sighting of the Ioniq 5 N in September 2021 caught a two-tone black/silver test car completely devoid of camouflage. We caught another camo-free prototype at the Nurburgring, but since then, Hyundai has buttoned things up. Our latest sighting is a video from CarSpyMedia, once again catching the forthcoming electric N model at the 'Ring. Now, it's wearing a full-body wrap that looks like a checkered flag, and its wheels are fitted with elaborate testing gear.

It's quite possible our earlier sightings didn't feature models wearing N-specific body upgrades that are now hidden. Either way, the high-performance electric model won't look substantially different than the standard Ioniq 5. Snazzy wheels with fat tires have been the key identifier to its true nature, and in this clip, it's very easy to see this car is decidedly quick. It looks remarkably flat while slicing through the Nurburgring's corners, remaining quite stable through higher-speed transitions. We aren't hearing any tire torture either, which suggests this Ioniq still has more to give.

With its relation to the Kia EV6, there's every reason to believe the Ioniq 5 N will at least share the EV6 GT's 577-horsepower dual-motor setup. Driving all four wheels with such force, the Kia can reach 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and tops out at 162 mph. However, we know the E-GMP platform used in both cars is capable of more power. It's possible Hyundai could literally turn up the juice a bit, perhaps hitting the 600-hp mark.

The rumor mill has been rather quiet regarding the Ioniq 5 N, but a recent teaser from Hyundai suggests at least some new information could drop on July 15.